From rom-coms to monsters, Camara Aaron conquers all

Aaron’s dream — to tell stories she believes in, that center Black women and marginalized people in movies — and at Yale she’s been living that dream.
A movie crew standing around a large table of people.

Aaron seen here (left) giving direction on the set of one of her movies.

Camara Aaron’s years at Yale have been a journey of courage and fear.

The fear came from wondering whether she truly belonged in the land of Lux et Veritas; the courage arrived when she found her voice and used it speak up, build a community of friends, and fully engage with her creative spirit.

For me, the dream is to end up telling stories that I believe in, that center Black women and marginalized people in movies,” said Aaron, 22, a graduating senior from Benjamin Franklin College.

She’s already living that dream. As a writer, performer, director, and producer at Yale, she has told Black women’s stories in genres as far-ranging as science fiction, romance, and horror.

For example, Aaron wrote and directed a short film about the whiteness of Hollywood romantic comedies for a class taught by Claudia Rankine, Yale’s Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry. Another of Aaron’s short films dealt with robots, the apocalypse, and being Black at a predominantly white institution.

She also produced multiple stage productions on campus for classmates; she performed with the Latin dance team Sabrosura; she even tried her hand at sketch comedy with The Sphincter Troupe.

Yet her success at Yale was far from pre-ordained. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland, Aaron envisioned herself at a small, liberal arts college. It wasn’t until she visited the Yale campus while in high school that she considered a college experience that was more expansive.

Yale was such a good fit, but I was afraid that something would catch up to me and everyone would find out I didn’t belong here,” she said. “I decided I had to be brave.”

A key development for her, she said, was becoming a Communication and Consent Educator (CCE) on campus. The CCE program aims to create a safer, healthier social and sexual environment on campus through communication — and Aaron found those principles to be helpful in all aspects of her life.

I felt I could speak up for myself,” she said. “I could speak up for the things I needed.”

Aaron’s confidence and creativity are on full display in her senior thesis, a monster movie screenplay about a woman struggling to grow up as she prepares for the wedding of her best friend. Meanwhile, her skin is falling off.

I loved the idea of a monster being the protagonist,” she said. “I’m trying to collect as many different storytelling experiences as possible.”

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Media Contact

Fred Mamoun: fred.mamoun@yale.edu, 203-436-2643