"Resilient."
That is the word that defines this year’s Yale School of Public Health graduates, said Casey Wells, MPH '26, the student speaker at the school’s Commencement on May 18.
"Our class of 2026 is unique," said Wells. “We didn’t learn and grow into public health professionals under ideal conditions. We fell in love with it when it was messy, contested, and exhausting.”
Wells, a former intern with the United Nations Development Programme HIV & Health team, studied health policy with a focus on global health and a track in maternal and child health at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). She said her interdisciplinary path allowed her to "tailor my studies even more towards the areas I care most about."
Wells has been a member of Reproductive Health Equity Now (RHEN) at YSPH where she organizes meetings, supports speaker events, and engages in community-centered advocacy. She is also the co-host of a student-led podcast “Show Me The Evidence” focused on vaccine health literacy.
Wells has been a legislative intern with Connecticut Voices for Children, a research-based advocacy organization focused on the well-being of the state’s youth and families. Her work focused on health policy. She provided both written and spoken testimony on several bills at the Connecticut State Capitol during this legislative session. Wells described the advocacy process as "incredibly empowering and exciting" as it allowed her to provide direct input on policies shaping community well-being.
This legislative work was informed by her two-year commitment to the Yale Patient Navigator Program, where she supported a New Haven refugee family experiencing the complexities of Medicaid, housing, and food assistance. Wells said seeing firsthand how systemic barriers obstruct care moved policy from the abstract into the real world, teaching her that it "directly shapes people’s dignity and daily life."
Wells also served as finance director and the sustainability and development director for the HAVEN Free Clinic, a student-run primary care clinic that provides New Haven residents with access to free, high-quality health care. She helped coordinate the HAVEN 5K, which raised more than $61,000—surpassing its $35,000 goal—to ensure the clinic’s continued operations and expansion.
Wells also participated in a monthly Compassionate Dialogue group at YSPH. What began as an orientation activity became a cornerstone of her experience, teaching her to "slow down, actively listen, and make sure others actually feel heard."
Her commitment to communication is further reflected in the six-episode podcast, co-hosted with fellow MPH ‘26 graduates Grace Williams, Bethany Pavel, and Olivia McCarthy. The series brings in experts to "translate complex scientific and policy issues into accessible discussions" to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. The episodes are scheduled to launch on major streaming platforms and the YSPH YouTube playlist after commencement.
Wells holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, where she first developed her interest in the interdisciplinary nature of global health. As she prepares to take the stage, she carries a deep belief in the power of persistent, compassionate advocacy to transform public health from an invisible success into a visible force for equity and dignity.