Cultural Rhythms 2010: An Evening with Wyclef Jean

Kevin Liu, class of 2011
Eliot House

I step on stage with my co-director Elizabeth Eze, and we can feel the adrenaline rush as we introduce the 25th Annual Cultural Rhythms Festival to a crowd of 1200 students, faculty and community members.

My name is Kevin Liu, and I am an intern at the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. Every year, the interns organize a day-long celebration consisting of a food festival, two student performance shows, and an awards ceremony for the honored Artist of the Year. This year, the festival provided a stage for diverse, multicultural, artistic expression from 26 different student performance groups. In addition, the Harvard Foundation selected an artist who embodies the spirit of Cultural Rhythms: the unity of artistic contribution, promotion of diversity and active humanitarian efforts.

Our 2010 Artist of the Year, Mr. Wyclef Jean, has had a longstanding and noteworthy career both as member of the Fugees and as a solo artist. However, most impressive are his contributions through his organization, the Yéle Haiti Foundation, which aims to support the people of Haiti by promoting sports and the arts. In addition, the organization distributes food to communities in need throughout Haiti and mobilizes emergency disaster relief, including its current efforts in response to the January 2010 earthquake.

When Wyclef Jean steps on stage, the crowd goes wild. He opens the show with a multi-lingual free-style rap and the festivities begin. Through the plethora of groups, everyone is impressed by the amount of talent and diversity of Harvard students—from the fan-dance from Asian American Dance Troupe to the traditional Indian Classical Dance to the modern break-dancing from the Harvard Breakers. The precision and synchronization of the Ballet Folklorico de Atzlan and the Irish Dancers amaze the audience. We clap along to the playful Appalachian music from Bluegrass and are touched by the soulful songs of Kuumba Singers.

Whether we are in the audience, backstage, or performing, for a short time, the show brings us together as one community in a shared experience. For me, this simple connection is the most rewarding moment of the entire show. In that moment, we engage in cross-cultural understanding and embrace the true meaning of unity by celebrating our diversity together.

Kevin Liu and classmate Katie Gunn will be emceeing Pre-frosh Palooza this Sunday evening, an event inspired by Cultural Rhythms and exclusively for the Class of 2014. Acts performing at Prefrosh-Palooza will include the Harvard Breakers, the Harvard Ballet Company, the Callbacks, Mariachi Veritas, the Pan-African Dance and Music Ensemble, and many others. Don’t miss it—Sunday April 25, 9-11pm in Sanders Theatre!

Opera at Harvard

Francesca Reindel, Class of 2011,

Eliot House, Neurobiology Concentrator

The first night of pre-frosh weekend is thrilling, but also somewhat daunting.  Finding your way to Agassiz House to pick up your t-shirt, the calendar listing the hundreds of events, and your host’s information, and then appearing at your host’s doorstep with your sleeping bag—it’s exciting but slightly unnerving.  Some pre-frosh may not arrive until the next day, and it is normal to feel a little lost.

I was lucky enough to be, quite literally, rescued by a group of undergraduate members of the Lowell House Opera (the details of this rescue could rival any fairytale).  It was my good fortune that a friend-of-a-friend was involved in this incredible organization and invited me to come watch a video of the opera Othello with them, an opera we would eventually produce in full  and perform in the Lowell House Dining Hall in 2009!

As an opera singer, the last thing I would have expected at pre-frosh weekend was to find myself immersed in a group of opera lovers.  Most of my friends from music school had moved on to conservatories or universities with large opera performance programs in order to fulfill their dreams of one day singing at the Met.  I was more interested in broadening my horizons and attending a liberal arts college, while also pursuing opera.

Harvard has a myriad of performing opportunities and a strong, active, and welcoming community of people who love to sing, direct, produce, and listen to opera.  We have FOUR companies which annually mount full scale productions!  I performed in my first full opera this February in the Dunster House Opera (DHO)’s production of Albert Herring.  Each year DHO’s undergraduate cast and orchestra energetically perform an opera in English.  With the Lowell House Opera, which performs larger-scale works in their original language, I’ve had the opportunity to work on many of the behind-the-scenes aspects of opera, and LHO’s unique community of students and semi-professionals from around the Boston area is very exciting.  If you prefer early music, check out the Harvard Early Music Society (HEMS), or for quick-paced English operetta, explore the Harvard Gilbert and Sullivan Players (HRGSP).

Photo: Francesca Reindel in a Master Class with Renée Fleming at Harvard

There are also opportunities to learn from experts in the field through the Harvard Music Department and the Office for the Arts.  I recently had the opera-tunity (pun intended) to sing in a master class for international opera star and three-time Grammy award winner Renée Fleming!

At Harvard, even novice singers can get involved!  There are also programs, such as the Lowell House Opera Scenes concerts, which allow singers and directors to develop their craft in smaller-scale productions.  Most productions have a chorus as well, which is a great way to begin learning about opera!

We’d love to have you share your fresh ideas and talent with us! Join us at the Opera Aria Concert at Lowell House on Saturday, April 24^th at 1 PM to hear undergraduate opera singers and learn more about our incredible organizations!

Harvard Queer Students and Allies (QSA)

Antonio Iglesias, class of 2010
Adams House, Earth and Planetary Sciences Concentrator

There are few things in life better than becoming comfortable with yourself.  As a gay, male student who once struggled with his sexual identity, the Harvard community, particularly, the Harvard Queer Students and Allies (QSA), aided in my personal transition from questioning and confused to confident and comfortable, and has become my second family.  The QSA creates a supportive community through celebrations of queer culture such as an annual drag night, dance/mixers, and guest speakers and discussion panels on the intersectionality between sexual orientation and other social constructions.

My transformation happened during freshman year.  Now a senior, I have been the treasurer of the QSA for the past two years.  As much as I have grown since my first year, more so have I seen the organization grow.  The main development I have seen is acknowledgment of the real need for inclusivity. In a society concerned with queer rights, the needs of gay and lesbian individuals tend to dominate the conversation, yet we know that there are also many other individuals who are questioning their sexual identities and seeking the comfort that I gained a few years ago   Thus, whether you identify as transgender, intersexual, bisexual, gender queer, (and the list goes on and on), the QSA strives to offer all of these different identities the resources and confidence to live happy, secure lives.

All in all, what I’ve enjoyed most about being a member of the QSA and Harvard in general is that I have never been a part of a more accepting community. This is not just limited to acceptance of another’s sexual identity, but acceptance of every individual for every facet of their identity.  Such an open environment truly promotes a healthy dialogue between students from astoundingly different backgrounds and encourages us to mature and become wiser people than we were when we first set foot on campus.

The Harvard Showroom is open

Maxwell L. Child, class of 2010

Former president of the Harvard Crimson

      My first big feature for the Harvard Crimson required serious manpower to put together.  As a freshly-minted news reporter covering the faculty, I wanted to get something big.  Something exciting. Something Harvard’s professors would be embarrassed to reveal to the public.  

      I wanted to know which cars Cambridge’s biggest brains drove.

      I was able to harness the efforts of 20 or so writers who were trying to get elected—“compers” in Crimson lingo—to take on my pet project.  I drew up huge e-mail lists of professors from all departments for them to blitz until we got the information we needed.  I had them searching across campus for Porsches with Harvard permits.  We mounted the biggest Crimson investigative effort since the election of President Faust.

      In the end, operation “Crimson Showroom” was a success.  We were able to sniff out a few of the luxury-car owners (BMWs only, sadly, the Porsches remained a mystery). Renowned professors Mankiw (economics) and Mansfield (government) gave me up-close-and-personal access to their distinctive rides. Green-friendly Prius driving profs and a Suburban fan gave impassioned defenses of their auto choices.  And, surprisingly, our survey found that the most popular faculty car was the sensible, midrange Subaru Forrester.  

      While my automobile exposé was hardly Woodward and Bernstein material, the fun I had reporting and writing it pulled me further into the hard-working and high-spirited world that is The Crimson.  I was hooked on the camaraderie of the building, and stuck around for three-and-a-half years.  A number of the aspiring editors I conscripted to help me with that story are great friends of mine today.   

      My experience writing the story exemplified two opportunities ever-available at The Crimson—the chance to make friends and to bother incredibly important people with trivial matters.  I was lucky enough to get to do both a number of times at The Crimson, and I hope prospective writers, designers, photographers, and businesspeople make sure to factor the options at 14 Plympton in their college decision.

Check out Max’s feature “The Harvard Showroom is open” at http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2007/11/13/the-harvard-showroom-is-open-what/

All for Fun, and Fun for All

James McFadden ‘10

Being a part of the College Events Board has been an incredible part of my time at Harvard. I was one of those people in high school in charge of coming up with dance themes, fundraising drives, pep rallies, and spirit weeks, and the CEB is basically a well-funded group of like-minded people that take event planning to the next level. Planning events for a campus of 6,000 undergraduates is no easy task, but seeing our projects come together makes it all worth it.

The board is responsible for planning all major campus-wide events and initiatives (rather than just for particular houses or student groups), and our three largest events each year are a Welcome Back party, the Harvard-Yale Pep Rally, and Yardfest.

The welcome back event is held during the first week of school each September in Harvard Yard. In the past, this has taken the form of a luau, carnival, summer camp, etc. and its mission is to bring new students and returning upperclassmen all together in one place for free, relaxed fun. Barbeque food, fire pits, games, performers, and rides are just some of the things we as the CEB work to coordinate at the event.

The second main event of the year is the Harvard-Yale Pep Rally. This event takes place right at the John Harvard Statue in the Yard the Thursday night in November before the football team’s historic rivalry game against Yale. This past year we got in touch with several on-campus performing groups and put together a show filled with Harvard talent, inter-athletic eating competitions, and lights and fog, all culminating in a pre-victory speech from the football team itself.

Our final “signature” event is a spring concert in the Yard known as Yardfest. As the weather gets warm and the end of the year rolls around, we invite a popular artist or two to perform on the steps of Memorial Church. Tire swings abound and HUDS (Harvard University Dining Services) fires up their grills to make for one last chill event of the year where the whole campus can come together for an afternoon of music and fun at the center of campus.

In addition to these “big three” events, we are constantly brainstorming new ideas and initiatives that take place throughout the entire school year. We’ve recently begun a new trend of screening free new-release movies in the Harvard Square movie theater twice a year and have sponsored music mash-up contests for budding DJs on campus. The board itself is only a few years old, so the possibilities for cool new events are endless.

Being on the board itself is beyond fun in its own right. The 18 of us have become a close group of friends and my fellow CEB-ers are some of the most fun people I’ve ever met. A lot of my home friends would laugh at the idea that Harvard can be a “fun” place, but my experience on the CEB, the people I’ve met through it, and our successful events have really proven otherwise.

In some late-breaking exciting news, we’ve just announced this year’s lineup of artists to perform on April 18th: Kid Cudi, Wale, and Patrick Park. Everyone on campus is amped up for the spring show, and for us that means one thing: mission accomplished.

Sunshine, Smiles, and Service

Jessica Zuo, class of 2013

During my first year here at Harvard, I’ve fallen in love with Cambridge. However, one Saturday afternoon in particular, I couldn’t have been more excited to leave. Along with eight other students, I went on an Alternative Spring Break trip sponsored by the Harvard Pre-medical Society and the Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard’s umbrella public service organization. Our destination: New Orleans!
On our first day there, we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine to explore New Orleans (and its amazing food). We also toured Tulane University’s medical simulation center, with its lifelike mannequins, and sat down with the dean of the medical school to learn more about health care delivery in the city after Hurricane Katrina.

For the rest of the week, we were assigned to shifts at various health clinics around the city, and I spent most of my time working with another Harvard volunteer at a pediatric clinic not far from our hostel. We shadowed two doctors, sitting in on their appointments and helping out with the children when needed. Through interactions with the patients and physicians, I began to see more clearly how crucial it is to ensure the overall well-being of young children and to make sure that they maintain healthy lifestyles.

One mother brought in her four children, and while the doctor did routine checkups one-by-one, we did our best to keep the others occupied. One of the little girls mimicked the doctor’s actions, tapping her brother’s legs. “Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?” we asked her. She turned to us and nodded, a little grin on her face.

When I worked at an adult clinic a couple days later, I couldn’t help but recall the children’s playfulness in contrast to the patients I saw that morning. One gentleman in his late 50s told me about his love for sports when he was younger. Unfortunately, he hasn’t taken care of himself in other respects since then, and his body has turned against him. Now, even everyday movements give him trouble. Of course, it’s well known that certain lifestyle choices can greatly increase one’s risk for developing serious diseases like cancer or diabetes. But once upon a time, these patients were just as full of hope as the little girl, and I want so much for her—and all of the other kids we saw—to lead a healthy, fulfilling life.

I could learn so much about health care policy by reading a book or taking a course (and after my experience in New Orleans, I plan on exploring health policy opportunities at Harvard-- http://www.healthpolicy.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate/index.html). Yet, working directly with the people who are most impacted definitely gave me more inspiration for what I want to do in the future.

This year, the Phillips Brooks House Alternative Spring Break trips included: Pre-Med Work in New Orleans, HIV/Aids Assistance in New York, Civil Rights and Social Justice Tour in Mississippi, Pets as Therapy in Massachusetts, and Harvard Hillel in New Orleans, just to name a few! To learn more, visit http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~asb/Site/Welcome.html.

Into the Jungles of Costa Rica

Jeremy Hsu, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, class of 2011

A loud, guttural noise echoed across the trees of the rainforest. Startled, our group looked around, but our guide waved his hands dismissively. “Just some Howler Monkeys,” he muttered, picking up his binoculars and scanning the canopy around us. “They’re over there; nothing to worry about.”

As we continued our slow but steady hike, our boots became increasingly wet and muddy, and our clothes grew damp with sweat in the hot, humid climate. However, nothing could dampen our spirits – around us the wilderness of the jungle enveloped our group, and every few minutes or so we would stop to admire the incredible wildlife around us.

Our class on herpetology – the study of reptiles and amphibians – was in Costa Rica for spring break. As an Organismic and Evolutionary Biology concentrator, I had jumped at the chance to learn more about the fascinating world of “herps,” and the field trip promised to be an exciting way to observe reptiles and amphibians out in the wild. Our class first stayed at Palo Verde Biological Research Station on the western coast of Costa Rica, and we were now on the eastern coast at La Selva, another research station.

As we marched deep through the rainforest, nature continued to display her incredible biodiversity. Leaf-cutter ants scurried beneath us, and we observed a sloth lazily climbing a tree above our heads. Capuchins and toucans peered down, and in the distance we observed a pack of peccaries and a pair of Great Curassows, perhaps the strangest birds I’ve seen. The eyes of giant spiders eerily reflected our lights at night, and small bats and nocturnal birds fluttered around in the darkness.

However, our class was most eager to observe the herpetological diversity, and both sites did not disappoint. At Palo Verde, large Ctenosaurs – distinct iguanids – roamed the grounds, scurrying away whenever one of us got too close. Crocodiles swam in the river, with their snouts a ubiquitous and ominous presence. We caught several species of anoles, examining the features we had discussed in class, before releasing them back in the wild. La Selva offered just as much diversity. Strawberry poison dart frogs were abundant, with their bright red coloration standing out. We observed (and caught) a caiman, a relative of the crocodile, and snakes – some venomous, some not – were in abundance. The beauty of a yellow eyelash viper wowed us, and we even saw a hog-nosed viper about to consume its prey! Besides vipers, we also saw vine snakes, a coral snake, and glimpses of the fer-de-lance, perhaps one of Costa Rica’s most notorious snakes. The ecological diversity was overwhelming, and our list of species observed grew every day.

The experience in Costa Rica was one that I’ll never forget, and I’ve learned so much from the world-class professors at Harvard and our field trip to Costa Rica. Whether exploring the evolution of vertebrates, learning more about the history of genetics, studying Roman culture in the Age of Augustus, or just watching in awe at a cask-headed lizard in Costa Rica, Harvard has provided so many opportunities.

Learn more about OEB 167: Herpetology, taught by Professor James Hanken and Professor Jonathan Losos, and other exciting courses and research opportunities in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/.

Thinking Big

Johnny Bowman
President of the Undergraduate Council

At a student government meeting in late March, discussing the tailgate for the upcoming lacrosse game against Duke on April 2:

“How many shirts should we get for the lacrosse game? A couple hundred?”

“No. Let’s get 4000”

…

“5000?”


No other group of students has the power to throw huge events on campus like Harvard’s Undergraduate Council. As the President of Harvard’s student government, I have the privilege of doling out anywhere between 20 and 80 thousand dollars each week to student groups. The basic rule is that if you have an idea, and if you have a plan, we will give you money to do it.

This past Monday, a group of student government members got together to discuss the idea of supporting sports. After 30 minutes of brainstorming, we decided that every Harvard student needed a free shirt and free BBQ, along with an inflatable jousting arena, at the tailgate for a lacrosse game the next week. I was skeptical that inflatable jousting arenas even existed outside of a few dreams I had in fourth grade, but why not give it a try? Five days later, with a little perseverance, everything came into place.

The point is, there will always be someone in the room asking you to think bigger here at Harvard. And the bigger the idea, the more support the idea will get. An a cappella tour spanning 5 continents? A fashion show with 1,500 attendees? A private party with Justin Timberlake? Check, check, and as of this year, check. It’s like that old cliché, “If you build it, they will come.” Except Harvard was built nearly 300 years ago, so 90% of the building is already done for you.

It is truly remarkable what students achieve here on a regular basis, but it’s only because Harvard encourages you to think in cosmic levels as opposed to immediate levels, in exponents rather than plus signs, and if students were at anywhere else with that attitude they’d be certified as insane.

The Harvard Crimson takes on the Duke Blue Devils Friday, April 2 at 7pm.

Food Comma

I’m in a food comma (yes, that comma, as in separating a number of related elements in a series). This week I coordinated the announcement of a new undergrad Gen Ed course on science and cooking (technically known as the more cumbersome sounding, Cooking and Gastronomy: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter).

An “air” of honey created by world famous chef Ferran Adrià, who is collaborating on a course with Harvard faculty members on science and cooking. It turns out that modern chefs like Adrià are turning to the lab for inspiration. (Image thanks to Francesc Guillamet/elBulli).

Leave it to the SEAS faculty to take some wind out of the PR sails and make things sound all “techy”. Then again, what is cooking, but applied chemistry? More broadly, faculty and students at SEAS strive to find usual but powerful connections to highlight how engineering underlies everything (from robotic bees to quantum levitation). Okay, I’ve switched into my spin cycle---but day-in and day-out folks at SEAS always surprise me: “Hey, we just did a study on the mathematics behind the beaks of Darwin’s finches …” (Otger Campas, a grad student) … “I don’t know if this is worth promoting, but we found a way to embed unwanted CO2 in concrete.” (faculty member Mike Aziz) … and “look, we just invented a soccer ball that creates and stores energy.” (Jessica Lin ’09).

Dave Weitz, one of the faculty members coordinating the engineering side of the cooking course (warning, real physics content ahead), explores wild substances and materials such as emulsions (above) and colloids (for use in a variety of everyday products like shaving creams and for novel drug delivery). In fact, everything from Jello to exotic culinary foams relies on the same technical principles (and sometimes even requires the same equipment to make).

The ingredients for the science and cooking course are simple---and simply amazing: 12 celebrity chefs, 2 SEAS faculty, and 150 lucky College students. I have received calls from around the world (and in some cases, what amounts to friendly bribes of free meals) from chefs and interested amateurs alike eager (um, desperate?) to take the course. Alas, that privilege is strictly for Harvard undergrads (meaning possibly some of you). A response I overheard by an associate dean sums up my own feelings: “I absolutely love this place! Where else could you pull this off?” And this is no flash in the pan (that pun was begging to be used), as plans are to create more and more science and engineering courses like this.

The chef-research class sprung to life after a visit to Harvard by chef Ferran Adrià and Jose Andres (I highly recommend his DC-area bistros, as he uses Corn Nuts with raw tuna) in 2008---an event that a former dean calls the “food riot,” and when he is less generous, “Michael’s food riot”. The first-come first served seating was, in retrospect, not a good idea  … and we had to turn away about 500-1,000 people with the help of the Harvard police.

In 2008, Ferran Adrià toured labs, taught a course, and gave a popular public lecture. Thanks to members of the Harvard police (like Matthew Ferazzi, who even took time out to take a photo), the massive crowds were held at bay.

So less than two years after Adrià’s visit, a scribble of an idea has become a rich realty. I heard from Michael Brenner, one of other faculty organizers, that the chefs who will guest lecture are so eager to participate, all 12 have already bought their plane tickets and begun to think up how best to present their demos and lectures to match the science and engineering content. Harvard is one heck of a magnet for motivation.

Jose Andres (right, in the scarf) during his visit to Harvard. Amy Rowat (behind and left, in blue and red shirt) is one of the TFs for the course (a brilliant applied physicist and an amazing cook---I’ve experienced her culinary wizardry first hand).

As for Adrià, while he’s known for his exuberance in the kitchen, he seems sincere rather than hyperbolic about what the collaboration means to him and for cooking: “This collaboration with Harvard is the first work of my new life … 2010 will make a change to the relations between universities and the world of the kitchen. It will be a revolution.” Let them eat cake, indeed.

Okay, so back to the comma I mentioned at the start of this entry. The science and cooking course is mere amuse-bouche to a multi-course meal. Bioengineer and Afghan war vet Kit Parker, known for his turducken (look it up), will appear as a guest judge on Food Network Challenge (dude, you owe me one for getting you that gig). In April 60 Minutes will broadcast a segment on Jose Andres’ visit to SEAS in the fall of 2009. And don’t snort at this: two weeks ago, innovator David Edwards introduced his Le Whif (a way to inhale foods) to the U.S. market at a party held in Harvard Square’s Tory Row. If you visit Harvard, you can pick up a pack of this Willy Wonka-like wonders at Cardullo’s.

Le Whif, invented by Harvard faculty member David Edward, relies on the same technology used to deliver certain vaccines. Instead of medicine, users receive a shot of chocolate or coffee. What’s it like? You really have to try it yourself. (Photo courtesy of the Crimson.)

Finally, as I am a student of the history of science (at night) and because Harvard is deep into tradition (you’ll learn that right away if you attend), I offer this one final food fact. A major 19^th century discovery stemming from the original engineering program at Harvard (called the Lawrence Scientific School) was the invention of baking powder.

Rumford Baking Powder (the one in the red can) was named after Count Rumford (the silhouetted figure on the label), in honor of an endowed professorship the count gave to Harvard faculty member and chemical engineer Eben Horsford, who eventually left Harvard to create the Rumford Chemical Works.

For someone in communications like me, Harvard/SEAS offers numerous “gifts.” With just a bit of digging into the archives, I am amazed how readily I can trace up-to-the-minute engineering findings back to earlier revolutions that happened a few feet away from where my office stands. That’s Harvard for you.

And if you couldn’t tell, I am a major foodie (so this is a week where all my stars aligned). As I write this, I am, in fact, recovering from a food coma from last night. I tried out East by Northeast, about two miles from campus in Inman Square. The menu: pickled veggies; fatty pork belly on a steamed buns; hand cut noodles with spiced pork topped with a poached egg; breaded trotters; and house-made ginger soda. All local ingredients; all made right on the premises. Wow.

The pork belly buns at East by Northeast. Savory, sweet, meaty, and fatty --- and lovely. (Photo from tinyurbankitchen, a food blog).

###

Michael Patrick Rutter is the Communications Director at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (or SEAS, as it is called). He has been in his current role for over 7 years (during the fateful transition from a Division to a School) and at Harvard for a decade. Previously, he worked at that “other” school in Cambridge, MIT. And to boot, his wife Amy is a Harvard alum (class of 1996). A graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio, he serves as a freshman adviser (sometimes cooking for his advisees), studies the History of Science at Harvard Extension School, and is very pleased that the current dean of SEAS, Cherry A. Murray, gets all of his geeky references to science fiction and pop culture.

April 1st! Decisions are on their way!

Welcome to the Harvard Admissions Office "My Harvard" blog!

Today was a busy day in the Admissions Office: the culmination of a year of hard work.  Decision letters were loaded onto the mail truck this afternoon and decision emails will be sent at 5pm EST.

It's a tradition in the Harvard Admissions Office that everyone helps to load all the letters into the mail truck.  Here you see the end of  the assembly line of admissions officers, financial aid officers, staff members, faculty and student workers passing bin after bin of letters. 

To give you a sense of the sheer volume we lifted this morning: 30,489 applications = 117 buckets and trays of mail.

It might be a lot of work but this is one of the best days of the year for us.  We've all taken a lot of time getting to know our admitted students over the past couple of months and we're excited to send you the great news of your acceptance.

We look forward to seeing you on campus - ideally for the April Visiting Program later this month and next fall!  In the meantime, take the time to ask us questions and use every resource to learn more about Harvard.

We created this blog with the hope that it will provide students admitted to the Class of 2014 a view of Harvard from the individuals who live and learn here each day. This blog will be different from ones you are familiar with as the authors will change with each post as will the topics they write about. Come back often as faculty members, student leaders and others from the Harvard community will be posting new articles throughout the next few weeks. 
 
Lastly, Congratulations!  You should be proud of your accomplishments. And Welcome to the Harvard College Class of 2014!
 
 
Warmest wishes,
 
Danielle Early
Admissions Officer
Director of Internet Communications
Harvard College Office of Admissions