For Joseph Lewis, MPH ’23, and Jessica Robles, MPH ’23, their sense of belonging at Yale began during the application process before they had moved to New Haven.

Robles was impressed by the hands-on assistance she received while applying to the Yale School of Public Health. “I thought, if they’re this helpful now when I’m not even a part of Yale, imagine how helpful they’ll be once I get admitted.”

Lewis and Robles met in 2021 as first-year Master of Public Health (MPH) students. They graduated in 2023, were married in 2024, and work in public health: Lewis as an infection preventionist for CommonSpirit Health working to prevent hospital-associated disease transmission. Robles is a population health specialist at the Health Plan of San Mateo supporting the integration of population health initiatives to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities.

Lewis and Robles continued to be surrounded by their Yale friends who not only attended their wedding, but aided Lewis’ plan to surprise Robles with an elaborate marriage proposal. At their friends’ urging, Lewis and Robles shared their story as a testament to the meaningful relationships they forged at YSPH.

“Looking back now, I am glad I made the move to New Haven,” Lewis said. “That move ultimately led me to meet my better half.”

The Journey to Yale

Robles grew up in Los Angeles, the child of immigrant parents. “Education was their priority for us and so it became the foundation of my journey,” said Robles, who graduated with a double major in Public Health (BS) and Ethnic Studies (BA) from the University of San Diego, becoming a first-generation college graduate.

“Growing up in an underserved community was my reality. I witnessed families, including my own, struggle with limited access to basic health care, healthy food, and stable housing.," Robles said. "Witnessing this, I wanted change. I wanted to dismantle the systems that perpetuate these inequities and provide resources and support for people who have been historically marginalized."

Lewis grew up in a remote village in northern Liberia, Africa, where subsistence farming took precedence over education. “Not many people I knew ventured beyond our village to attend school in bigger cities,” he said.

In 2003, a 14-year conflict ended in Liberia during which an estimated 250,000 people died, countless civilians were killed, tortured, and raped, and children were forcibly recruited to serve as soldiers. After the war, Lewis’ mother, who never attended school herself, sent Lewis to the capital city of Monrovia to begin his education at age 10.

Disease followed war. Lewis saw Ebola’s devastating impact, and the need to strengthen his country’s health care workforce. He decided to study infectious diseases, moving to the U.S. and majoring in Health Services Administration at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

While at Minnesota State, Lewis attended a business conference hosted by an Ivy League school. “Not only did I not see a fellow Liberian at what I considered the mecca of higher learning, but many of my introductions were met with the comment, ‘I don't think I have met anyone from Liberia,’ “ he said. “By the end of the conference, my determination was set — I would pursue a master’s degree at an Ivy League university.”

Arriving at YSPH

During one of Lewis’ first days at YSPH, he was introduced to Dr. Kristina Talbert- Slagle, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (general internal medicine) at Yale School of Medicine, and an affiliated faculty member at the Yale Institute for Global Health. Dr. Talbert-Slagle has had a long-standing partnership with colleagues from the University of Liberia and the Liberian Ministry of Health to establish academic programs to strengthen Liberia’s health workforce.

Lewis completed an internship with Talbert-Slagle, a qualitative research project exploring donor and recipient power relationships in Liberia, and co-authored a paper describing that work.

Lewis, along with several other Yale students, applied for and received a Yale Collaborative Action Partnership (Y-CAP) fellowship to spend several weeks in Liberia. Lewis shared his knowledge about the country and worked closely with Talbert-Slagle’s team at the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences to identify students for its STEM camp for high school students, Camp xSEL.

For the Yale Black Graduates’ Ceremony at Battell Chapel, Lewis chose Talbert-Slagle to place a kente cloth stole around his neck. “I have never had a student confer such an honor on me,” Talbert-Slagle said.

Recently, Robles served as the first author of a published paper about food insecurity among women involved in the criminal legal system, which was based on her master’s thesis on the same topic. She presented her work at the 2024 Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice and Health with her thesis advisor Dr. Jaimie Meyer, MD, MS, associate professor of epidemiology (chronic diseases) at YSPH, and associate professor of medicine (infectious diseases and AIDS) at Yale School of Medicine.

Robles had previously done advocacy work and is passionate about addressing social determinants of health, Meyer said. “My lab focuses on HIV prevention and treatment for women, and we had just completed a study known as Empowering, which was an HIV prevention (PrEP) demonstration project for women in the criminal legal system. Jessica wanted to focus on food insecurity and the ways in which this population is disproportionately affected, so it was a great fit.”

“My goal has always been to create a future where communities, especially minority populations, no longer have to struggle for the basic resources they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives,” Robles said. “I know public health can provide a pathway for me to address these systemic issues holistically.”

Robles also wore a stole to her Yale Commencement, one that she and her friends requested from a Latino-based shop to honor their culture and heritage. “For us, it was about representing our families’ hard work as we walked across the stage,” she said.

'An Amazing Night'

Lewis and Robles remember seeing each other around campus when they first arrived in New Haven. “I vaguely remember crashing one of her and her friends' biostatistics study groups, but we did not officially talk until February 25, 2022,” Lewis said. That night, a group of students who had taken a difficult exam earlier in the day decided to go dancing and let off some of the day’s tension.

“One of the things I remember crystal clear about this night was me asking her to be my dance partner and to jokingly pretend to be my girlfriend,” Lewis said. “And it worked. She was a natural at it.”

Robles remembers the encounter slightly differently. “I was so confused,” she said, but after talking to him, she agreed. “It was an amazing night,” she said.

Fast forward to their engagement six months after graduation, which Lewis planned around the Harvard-Yale football game that he and Robles planned to attend with their friends. He convinced Robles to dress up so they could take graduation photos with their friends since they didn’t get a chance to do that during their busy commencement day.

Robles was suspicious, but her friends, who were in on the secret, encouraged her to go along.

“Right in front of Sterling Memorial Library – that's where I proposed to her,” Lewis said.

As Lewis knelt on one knee, the couple’s friends took photos and videos, and brought out balloons.

“Just the fact that he got down on one knee and gave a wonderful speech was amazing,” Robles said.

Afterwards, the couple changed into casual clothes and went to the game.