Elijah Bakaleynik, Class of 2020, is currently at Yale University in the US, planning to major in either Engineering or Applied Physics. Elijah plays flute in the Yale Concert Band and is in the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association, where they are building a CubeSat satellite to launch into low Earth orbit next spring! in We recently caught up with Elijah on the highlights and challenges of his first year at Yale, and some photos and memories from ISZL.

My first year at Yale was definitely intense and exhilarating. The academic challenge and freedom are energizing, the people here casually accomplish amazing things while still being humble and welcoming. It was exciting to be able to learn on campus, meet classmates with a variety of backgrounds and aspirations, and explore New Haven, even though classes were virtual and coronavirus regulations were... uninspiring.

I do, however, miss feeling part of a family; at ISZL the tightness of the community and the close interactions I've had with teachers and students, in curricular and extracurricular contexts, always made me feel like a member of a family, a feeling that is hard to achieve at a much bigger institution.