About Us

smgarrett@aya.yale.edu

Shawn Marie Garrett holds a B.A. with Honors in English from Duke University and master’s and doctoral degrees in Drama/Literature from Yale. She has has taught a variety of subjects in the arts and humanities at Yale, Barnard/Columbia, Stony Brook, and other universities as well as in private secondary and adult education settings. She has also published book chapters in critical anthologies as well as scholarship, interviews, reviews, and essays in Yale Theater (Duke UP), Theatre Magazine (TCG), The Germanic Review (Taylor & Francis) and the Village Voice, among other magazines and journals. Since 2020, she has served as Co-founder and Director of Educational Consulting for Long Island Scholars (non-profit) and GPS Academy Long Island (private). She is honored to have received awards and recognition for her writing, teaching, and instructional design, and to be working with Yale.NYC. Connect with Shawn on shawnmariegarrett.com!

bryce.hwang@aya.yale.edu

Originally from South Korea, Bryce is a strategic communicator focused on digital engagement and public messaging across the United Nations system. He currently supports executive communications at the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, helping shape public outreach around multilateral diplomacy and global development priorities. Previously, he managed policy communications for UNDP’s Human Development Report Office and contributed to initiatives under the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, including work with UN goodwill ambassadors and strategic messaging for the World Economic Forum. Bryce holds a B.A. from Yale and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, both in Psychology. In addition to serving on the Yale NYC board, he leads the NYC Lunch for Two, an alumni initiative that fosters informal connections across generations and disciplines.

sunnyseunghee@gmail.com

Seunghee Lee (Sunny) is an international recording artist, a producer, and a musical entrepreneur. An advocate for exploring new ideas, across all musical genres, she released five solo albums to critical acclaim and has collaborated with Deepak Chopra on his new album & book: HOME: Where Everyone is Welcome, a collection of poems and songs inspired by a diverse group of immigrants. Also, a highly skilled golfer, known as “Sunny Kang” in the golf world, Sunny was featured on HK Golfer Magazine and spoke at TEDx Hong Kong about the surprising similarities between golf and music and the mental challenges of viewing both skills through the lens of a perfectionist. She served on the board of Yale Club of Hong Kong as the Secretary and headed the Arts and Culture committee, organizing numerous musical events and concerts. Ms. Lee received her Bachelor of Music from Eastman School of Music and both Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music.

sudip@aya.yale.edu

A native of New York, Sudip is a Senior Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager with Merrill Lynch in its Global Wealth & Investment Management division. He is a graduate of Cornell University with a BS in engineering. He earned an MBA from Yale University. In addition, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder and also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification. Among his civic and not-for-profit activities, Sudip serves on the Board of Hunger Free America (formerly known as The New York City Coalition Against Hunger). He also serves as a Parent Coach/Volunteer with the Jericho Athletic Association, a member of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network and a member of/admissions interviewer for the Yale Alumni Schools Committee. Sudip formerly served on the Board of Queens Community House. He and his wife live in Jericho, NY with their son and daughter.

aeb5@nyu.edu

Andrew earned his B.A. in Psychology from Yale in 1987 and his M.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health Science from CUNY Hunter in 1996. Currently, in addition to being a Co-Director of COEH at CUNY SPH, he teaches global environmental health as an adjunct in the NYU College of Global Public Health MPH Program. Recently, Andrew has traveled to Brazil, China, Ghana, India, and Nicaragua with the Yale Alumni Service Corps to teach environmental education to high school students and participate in various public health initiatives.

aggie.lau@aya.yale.edu

Originally from Hong Kong, Aggie moved to the U.S. for her MBA study at Yale School of Management. She is currently an in-house strategy professional with a focus on the insurance industry. Prior to that, Aggie was an external consultant with Mckinsey and The Boston Consulting Group in China.

Prior to moving to New York and joining the Yale.NYC Board, Aggie lived in the Raleigh-Durham area and served on the board of the Yale Triangle Club there. In her spare time, Aggie enjoys painting, traveling, visiting museums and exploring new restaurants.

christian.martinezcontreras@aya.yale.edu

Christian Martínez graduated from Yale College in 2023 with a double major in Computer Science and Economics. Based in New York City, he works as a software engineer with a focus on artificial intelligence and large language models. During his time at Yale, Christian was active in student life, serving on the Yale College Council, contributing to the Yale Daily News, and fueling community spirit with the Yale Ice Cream Club.

Christian is passionate about the intersection of technology, communication, and community. He is involved with Yale.NYC, supporting alumni outreach and helping keep fellow Elis informed through the newsletter. A polyglot who speaks three languages, Christian enjoys exploring the global side of New York, and he remains enthusiastic about building bridges between technology and people.