Yari Sissoko

Who is Yari?

Yari Sissoko ('19) is a junior at Wellesley College, majoring in International Relations with a concentration in Africa and a focus on history. She is currently studying abroad at Sciences Po Paris, where she is pursuing a Certificate in Humanities and researching for her thesis on the History of Pre-colonial Fulani Civilizations. This summer, Yari served as an intern at Human Rights Watch in Washington, D.C., where she gained hands-on experience in advocacy, research, and strategic communication. Furthermore, she received the Camellia Award for Emerging Leadership for re-establishing the Wellesley Model UN. She also earned an Honorable Mention at the McGill Model United Nations Assembly, Canada’s top-ranked Model UN conference.

Lesson from Logan

Yari says that Logan instilled within her a strong sense of motivation for learning in academic, professional, and personal settings. It also taught her to advocate for herself in all environments while still upholding the value of respect.  At Logan, Yari studied Gods and Goddesses as well as Contemporary Fashion. These units fueled her love of classical studies and the fashion world, as well as the intersections between those topics.  Yari explains that through units and clubs, Logan shaped her into a “fearless thinker” with a deep commitment to her community. It was at Logan that she learned how to synthesize information through her own perspectives and insights, rather than merely absorbing it without thought.

Advice for Current Logan Students

Yari encourages students and parents to understand that the “liberty of an uncensored education based on a young person’s interests is very valuable.”  She says that Logan’s model creates lifelong learners with a healthy relationship to the educational system. Yari encourages current students to continue to actively seek out knowledge through books, movies, and the people around them.

If Yari could give any advice to former Logan students going to high school or university, she would emphasize the importance of continuing to “water your intellectual curiosity.” She says, “High school and college can sometimes feel like they put you in a box academically, especially in AP or IB classes. However, you always have the agency to explore other topics and find creative ways to pursue your interests within the structure of your assignments and rubrics, or after school.”