Clementine Wamariya spoke at TEDxYale. The event, held on February 23, 2013 explored the theme "Solve for y." The speakers were challenged to explain their unique "y," the key ingredient to their work and inspiration, and describe "why" it is significant. More than any other variable, "y" also represents the speakers' common ground, Yale.

Clemantine Wamariya was six-years-old when the genocide started in Rwanda. Miraculously she and her sixteen-year-old sister, Claire, managed to survive but they were separated from their parents. During the six years following the genocide, Ms. Wamariya lived in numerous refugee camps in seven different African countries before coming to Chicago in 2000. Since first discussing her experiences as both a survivor of genocide and her life as a refugee on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006, Ms. Wamariya has traveled the country, speaking at numerous universities, high schools, and other organizations. Currently an undergraduate at Yale University, Ms. Wamariya is involved in several human rights and genocide intervention activities. More recently, President Barack Obama appointed Wamariya to serve on the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.