Join Dr. Laurie Santos’ high school ambassador program

The Happiness Study Hall

September 2026 – May 2027

Are you a high school student with a passion for mental health and psychology? You might be a great fit for The Happiness Study Hall, our new Ambassador Program for High School Students.

Apply

Deadline August 14. Decisions made on a rolling basis after that.

Know someone perfect for this? Email them • Text them

What is a Happiness Ambassador?

Happiness ambassadors will join Dr. Laurie Santos and her team at Yale University to learn about the science of well-being and to produce original digital content to share these ideas with online audiences.

As a happiness ambassador, your goal will be to create engaging short-form content about the science of happiness. Through bi-weekly online sessions with Dr. Santos and the Happiness team at Yale, you'll learn how to become a skilled communicator of psychological science, as well as the skills needed to create educational content that inspires change.

If you want to learn more about how to wield social media as a force for positive change in people’s lives, this program might be for you.

Eligibility

High school students grades 9-12

Length

2 Semesters

Stipend

$200/semester

How the program works

  • It’s easy! Click Apply, complete the application, and submit it. Applications are due August 14. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis after that.

  • This is a fully remote program that runs from September 2026 through May 2027.

    The program is made up of 2 semester-long segments: 

    • Part 1: Learn Semester (Sep-Dec 2026). During your Learn semester, you’ll complete our course The Science of Well-Being for Teens, accompanied by online lectures and discussions on the material to hone your skills as a well-being “scientist.” You’ll also begin producing videos on all the well-being science that you’ve learned.

    • Part 2: Build Semester (Jan-May 2027). If the Learn semester goes well, you’ll be invited to continue into the Build semester, where you’ll expand on the work you started during the Learn semester, and continue making content, but focus primarily on honing your voice as a science communicator. In other words, you’ll graduate into becoming a well-being “creator.”

  • Every week, you will be required to create one 60-second video about a topic in the science of well-being. 

    Every 2 weeks, you will be required to attend a one-hour live workshop over Zoom with the entire ambassador cohort to workshop your videos—a chance to connect with your fellow ambassadors and dig into special topics in the science of well-being. Workshops will be led by Dr. Santos and her team at Yale University.

    • Earn a $200 stipend per semester.

    • Learn about the science of well-being and how to use these insights to improve your own mental health

    • Learn social media strategy and science communication directly from Dr. Santos’s team at Yale University.

    • Become a scientific communicator and build your own portfolio of strong short-form videos about the science of well-being.

    • Join an exclusive community of like-minded, passionate creators and change makers.

    • Make real impact by bringing evidence-based well-being research to audiences who need it.

What’s required in the application?

  • Record a video that answers the question “What makes you want to be an ambassador?” (30-60 seconds long). This helps us to get to know you better as a person.

  • Record a 30-60 second video that’s related to a specific episode from The Happiness Lab podcast and that shows off the kind of content you’d like to make with us. This helps us to get to know you better as a scientist and creative

  • A one-page resume highlighting your education, experiences, and achievements.

  • The name and email of a teacher, coach, or other official at your school who knows you.

Logistical Requirements

  • Or other video recording device

  • A computer, iPad, or mobile device capable of joining Zoom calls

  • You must be located in the US

FAQs

  • No, this program does not carry Yale University or high school course credit.

  • We’ll notify you by August 30 about whether your application was accepted.

  • You don’t need past experience with psychology, videography, or social media— though of course it’s a plus if you have that experience already.

  • Yes, and we encourage it. All you need to do is:

    1. Submit your own application

    2. Mention your friend’s name in the appropriate field

    3. Ask your friend to do the same

    You’ll each be considered on your own merit, but we will take it into account that you would like to participate together. To make it super easy, we recommend just texting this link to your friend: drlauriesantos.com/ambassador.

    And remember: people are often happier to hear from you than you expect. :)

  • If you have a question that isn’t answered, contact our team here.

Apply now!

Apply

Know someone who's a good fit? Email them • Text them