YSC Staff
Sang and Charmain Yun
Sang and Charmain joined staff with YSC at a time when most students didn’t use email and when Rose Walk (in front of SML) was a regular city street. Sang graduated from Yale with a double major in Philosophy and Religious Studies in 1993 and with an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1996. Charmain graduated from Yale with a double major in Sociology and East Asian Studies in 1995. They married in 1996 and have made New Haven their home since then, starting their work on staff in 1998.
Their son Jonathan (age 21) is currently a senior at GA Tech and Kaylen (age 18) is a sophomore at Yale. Navia (age 15) is in the 10th grade at ESUMS, a New Haven public school. In 2018, Charmain transitioned out of full-time work with YSC. She received her MSW from UConn in 2021, and is currently the Director of Administration and Planning at Christian Community Action, a local agency serving families experiencing homelessness.
Contact: sang.yun@yale.edu
Lara (Takasugi) Denney (and JMatt Denney)
After incredible growth and adventure in YSC as an undergrad, Lara has served full-time with the ministry since she graduated in 2010. She studied history in undergrad (savoring the stories of humans across time), loved her four years as a part of the Yale Women's Club Soccer family, and learned much from the many social justice-minded students around her. After never wanting to "pleasure read" as an undergrad, she's returned to loving books and reading (or nap-reading, as it often goes), from children's books about rascal pigeons or elephant and piggie friendships, to missionary biographies. Lara loves serving up coffee or tea and baked goodies in her apartment to offer a home away from home for students—a refuge at a sunlit dining table, surrounded by green plants, under the gentle gaze of many cows. In April of 2019, with the love and loud "whoops" of many beloved students, family, and friends, Lara and her husband JMatt got married. JMatt is currently a PhD student in political science, studying race and criminal justice.
Contact: lara.takasugi@yale.edu
Alex and Bonnie Schurman
Having experienced with YSC as a student that Jesus is the key to joyful, flourishing life, Alex has served with YSC for several years. He studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, graduating in 2014, and he graduated with an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2020. Bonnie studied English at Georgetown (BA in 2013, MA in 2017) and has served in college ministry ever since her undergraduate days.
Since the two of them met, Alex has become a fan of the Washington Nationals and college gymnastics, and Bonnie has learned to love cooperative board games and has begun to fumble her way through some of the dense theology books that Alex considers "fun" reading.
They love cooking, drinking good coffee, and playing board games—and would love for you to join them for all of the above!
Contact: alexander.schurman@gmail.com and bonnie.schurman@yale.edu
Sarah Guan
Sarah (ES ‘23) joined YSC Staff in 2023 after growing in her walk with God and experiencing the sweet richness of deep community during her time as an undergraduate student in YSC. She graduated this past May with a BA in Economics and Mathematics and is currently pursuing an MPH in Healthcare Management at the Yale School of Public Health. Beyond academics, the highlight of these past four years was getting to know, love, and live in the city of New Haven, where she also resided for two summers.
Sarah is an avid hiker and musician. But when she’s not exploring trails or holed up in a practice room, you might also find her taking CT public transit to the local thrift store, trying to reach her annual Reading Goal on Goodreads, exploring the New Haven food scene, and staying informed about the latest news and trends in pop culture – and she would absolutely love for you to join her in all of these and more. Above all, she loves to connect and have long conversations with students (about anything and everything) and looks forward to growing together in faith this next year!
Connect: sarah.guan@yale.edu
Kwaku Acquah
Kwaku (BK ‘23) joined YSC as a reluctant first year, uncertain of what the Lord would do in the next few years. Through the ups and downs of college life, YSC became his home; a home that he is happy to return to for another year. Kwaku graduated from Yale with a B.S. in Cognitive Science, though he probably spent as much of his time writing music. He loved getting involved in the community as a volunteer, EMT, and first year counselor, and he is incredibly excited to spend the next year walking alongside students in New Haven.
Kwaku can often be found talking about psychology, listening to music, exploring the city, getting lost in a good book, getting lost in real life, and cooking spicy foods. He looks forward to more memories, laughter, late night deep conversations, and God adventures with YSC this upcoming year.
Contact: kwaku.acquah@yale.edu
Past Staff Teams
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2017-2018
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2018-2019
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2019-2020
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2021-2022
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2022-2023