Krish O'Mara Vignarajah has been President and CEO of Global Refuge since 2019, coming to the organization after serving as policy director for Michelle Obama and as a senior advisor under secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
Krish has committed her career to public service because she knows how differently life could have turned out. She was 9 months old when she and her family escaped a country on the brink of civil war and built a life in Maryland. Her parents came to this country with no jobs and $200 in their pockets.
Why Yale?
At first, Yale wasn’t my top choice, though only for the most juvenile of reasons. My older brother had chosen Yale, and in the great tradition of teenage rebellion, I declared that I was destined for Harvard. Never mind that I knew very little about either school; it was the principle of the matter.
I visited Harvard my freshman year summer, and once I did, I knew immediately it wasn’t the right fit for me. By the fall, my brother was enrolled at Yale, and when I visited him, something clicked. The campus, the community, the students, the energy, even the architecture. I didn’t want to leave.
So come senior year, I only applied to Yale (not a college admissions strategy I would recommend to students today, unless they enjoy high-stakes drama). Thankfully, it worked out. I doubled down on that crazy gamble once again by applying to only one law school: Yale again. Some might call it confidence; others might call it a questionable level of risk tolerance. I like to think it was destiny.
What is your most enduring memory of your time at Yale?
My most enduring memories aren’t necessarily a single moment, but rather a feeling: being surrounded by people who not only wanted to change the world but genuinely believed they could. Freshman year roommates who hailed from Argentina, California, and Detroit.
Whether it was the electric hum of Commons at lunchtime — the clatter of trays, the philosophical debates that somehow veered from Plato to The Real World — or late-night mock trial practice fueled by vending-machine snacks and adrenaline, there was always this sense of shared purpose pulsing through campus.
What is the biggest lesson you learned during your time at Yale and how does that shape who you are today?
I came to Yale from a low-income public high school, and honestly, I entered college thinking that was where you went to start higher learning, not where you arrived with a transcript full of college-level coursework. In those early weeks, I realized quickly that many of my classmates had been preparing for places like Yale since primary school. Meanwhile, I was still figuring out where to buy books and how to decode a syllabus.
That’s when I learned a life mantra: fake it till you make it. I didn’t always feel like I could keep up, but I acted like I did until, slowly, that confidence became real. I was lucky to have professors who saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself: scholars like Professor Rogers Smith, still a mentor and now a board member at Global Refuge, who gave me encouragement at exactly the moments I needed it.
But I also carried something else with me: the deep knowledge that this opportunity was rare, and that kids from my background didn’t often get a seat at this table. I felt I couldn’t waste it. I joined the tennis team, mock trial, debate, orchestra, and volunteered wherever I could. Academically, I figured if I was going to take on tens of thousands in student loans, I might as well get my money’s worth. So I double-majored in Political Science and Molecular, Cellular & Development Biology, and earned my master’s degree in Political Science while still an undergrad.
More than anything, I understood that how I performed at Yale would shape how others from neighborhoods like mine were judged. That pressure could have been crushing, but instead, it became motivating. It grounded me in gratitude, yes, but also in drive.
That sense of gratitude and responsibility has never left me. Yale gave me more than just an education; it gave me the confidence to dream bigger and the conviction to turn those dreams into service.
How did your time at Yale shape your identity?
I have two little girls now and we read fairytales every night. Perhaps my strong belief that unlikely stories can come true began at Yale. It’s also why I’m so patriotic, because I think there are storylines like mine that can only happen in the United States of America.
It may also be why I always root for the underdog. At Yale, I was the underdog - an immigrant child from a country few Americans could find on a map, a student from a high school where many never graduated, let alone had ever heard of the Ivy Leagues.
That awareness never left me. But it didn’t make me feel small; it gave me perspective. It fueled a deep sense of gratitude that has become a cornerstone of who I am and why I do the work I do. Gratitude for my parents’ sacrifices. Gratitude for the teachers who opened doors. Gratitude for the chance to learn in a place like Yale, where I was surrounded by brilliance but also reminded of how many others never get that chance.
That gratitude shaped my identity - and my purpose. It’s why I’ve spent my life fighting for others who just need that one shot, that one open door, to begin writing their own American story.
What does belonging mean to you and how did you find a sense of belonging at Yale and after?
Even though, on paper, I was very much an outsider, I rarely felt like one. If I ever questioned whether I belonged, it wasn’t because of anything external. It was my own insecurity, that familiar companion called imposter syndrome. But even then, I never let that self-doubt keep me from seeking connection or community.
I didn’t have the shared experiences that some of my classmates had of going to New England boarding schools or having parents or grandparents who were part of the same secret society. Belonging and shared experience came from finding my people - classmates who shared not only interests, but values. I naturally gravitated toward those who felt a similar sense of purpose, who believed in giving back, and who were drawn to public service. That shared commitment created a kind of kinship that grounded me during both undergrad and beyond.
How have you stayed engaged with the Yale community since graduating?
I’ve stayed closely connected to Yale through deep, personal relationships with peers and mentors - from both undergrad and law school - who continue to be an important part of my life. I’m also involved with Yale alumni groups locally, which has been a wonderful way to stay engaged with the broader community.
One meaningful experience recently was speaking to fellow alumni working in the nonprofit space at the Yale Club in New York. After reconnecting with a fellow alum, I was invited to speak at a Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance town hall about the work we’re doing at Global Refuge. The energy in the room, the shared passion for service, and the genuine support I felt was indescribable. It reminded me that Yale isn’t just a place I attended. It’s a community I continue to grow with, learn from, and give back to.
What advice do you wish you heard during your time at Yale?
Truthfully, I did hear this advice during my time at Yale, but it’s stuck with me ever since. As an undergrad sitting in some graduate-level classes, I sometimes hesitated to raise my hand. I worried my question wasn’t smart enough or my comment wouldn’t land. But my older brother gave me a simple rule: speak up at least twice in every class - whether it’s a question, a comment, or just a thought. It didn’t have to be brilliant; it just had to be said. That small push made a big difference.
Now, I’ve adapted that same advice for my 7-year-old daughter’s basketball games. I tell her to be a team player, to pass and defend - but at least once a game, she has to set herself up to take the shot.
I think that message is especially important for women: raise your hand, take the shot, speak your mind. If you practice it early, it becomes a habit. And eventually, it becomes second nature.
What were your favorite spaces at Yale or in New Haven? Why?
Is it embarrassing to admit that my favorite spot was…the library? Not just any library - the Yale Law Library. As an undergrad, I’d sneak over to study there late at night because it was open 24 hours and felt equal parts grand and gloriously nerdy.
I also had a deep appreciation for New Haven’s pizza scene. But I’m not naming names—Yalies have strong opinions on that subject!
The tennis courts were another favorite refuge. Playing on the DIII tennis team was a serious time commitment, but it was also a gift. Hitting balls for two hours gave me a chance to get out of my head, breathe, reset, and come back ready to wrestle with organic chemistry equations or constitutional law.
What aspects of Yale do you feel like you talk about most often to people who didn’t go to school here? Why?
I often find myself talking about Yale’s architecture and design, and how it somehow manages to feel both expansive and deeply personal at the same time. It’s not just beautiful; it shapes how you experience the place. I loved it so much that I ended up studying at Oxford, partly because I wanted to see the inspiration behind Yale’s collegiate Gothic charm. Safe to say, I’m a sucker for a vaulted ceiling and a centuries-old stone courtyard.
But beyond the buildings, what I talk about most is the sense of magic - of possibility - that Yale offers. There’s this unspoken understanding that you’re surrounded by people who genuinely believe they can change the world. And often, they do. It’s the kind of place where a world-class actor might share a seminar table with a future Supreme Court justice, or a Nobel-winning scientist might grab coffee next to a student organizing their first grassroots campaign.
Yale lets you chart your own path - and more than that, it gives you the tools, the community, and the quiet confidence to walk it boldly.
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