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The lifeblood of the University of New Haven are the faculty and staff members who dedicate their lives to helping our students reach their goals. Periodically, we’ll introduce you to a member of the staff so you can learn more about them – beyond their day to day work.

Next up is Meet Zanaiya Léon ’18, ’20 MBA, senior coordinator for leadership, diversity, and inclusion at the Myatt Center, who conquered a rock wall as a child and who now endeavors to conquer learning three new languages.

Renee Chmiel: Tell us about something/someone that inspires you. Why does this inspire you?

Zanaiya Léon: In 2020 I realized that raw displays of humans behaving like humans inspire me. I know that sounds a bit strange, but I think of how human beings really looked out for each other during the pandemic.

A family in my hometown organized a food drive and provided groceries for so many people in need when they lost their jobs due to COVID. There was also a video of a fitness instructor in Spain leading a workout from the roof of his apartment building so the people in the surrounding buildings could do a physically distanced community workout from their balconies. We are social creatures by nature, so I find it really moving when things in our modern world can bring us back to those roots.

RC: Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

ZL: Instead of resolutions, I choose a theme for the year. 2018 was “concerts,” 2019 was “travel,” and the 2020s are dedicated to “excellence.” I have a lot of big goals and smaller ones, so this theme gives me a bit more flexibility and time since it will span the entire decade. As for specific goals, I want to commit to working out three times a week and building my physical endurance.

RC: What historical event would you most like to have witnessed?

ZL: I would love to have been around during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s in Manhattan. A lot of major contributions to today's artistic landscape were born from the pioneers of that era, and it's such a critical part of Black American culture.

RC: What is something new you would like to try this year?

ZL: I'm in the process of learning three languages: Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole. I've had some practice with Spanish, and I'm very much a beginner in Haitian Creole, so I would love to have an authentic conversation with a native French speaker (who's not in my family) and see how well I do. My mom's side of the family is Puerto Rican, and my dad is Haitian, so since I didn't grow up speaking any of those languages, I would love to learn them, so I can interact with that aspect of my culture.

RC: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

ZL: It happened when I was younger, and I didn't realize it was that "adventurous" until I reflected upon it later in life. When I was 7 years old, I arrived at one of my karate lessons early, and the room we trained in had a rock wall. One day, I decided to play on it to pass the time and ended up climbing the entire wall – without a harness and barefoot – and climbing back down before class started. My dad, who was there the whole time egging me on, was very proud.

RC: Tell us about a silly pet peeve you have.

ZL: A silly pet peeve of mine is one that's kind of “modern.” It's when people use work jargon in their everyday lives. It's silly because I find myself doing it a lot now that we've been working from home so much. As an example: A friend of mine invited me to hang out this weekend, and I told her, "I'll circle back with you once I finalize my calendar for the week," and we both laughed at how ridiculous that sounded!

RC: What is your favorite TV show to binge?

ZL: I'm the friend who doesn't binge shows in the traditional sense, which is annoying to my friends who like to talk about whatever show they have just finished. I have to be in the mood to watch TV, and even then I have to be in the mood for a particular genre. I rarely watch a show after I've finished, it unless I'm specifically in the mood for that show.

Right now, I'm watching “Girlfriends” on Netflix because I am Joan Clayton; “Suits” on Amazon Prime because I like watching powerful women dominate in their fields; and “Living Single” and “This is Us” on Hulu for nostalgia and wholesome content. But, if I start a show over from the beginning, it's likely a cartoon that explores adult themes in a digestible and positive format, such as “Steven Universe” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Yes, I watched “Bridgerton,” and, yes, Simon has my heart.