As I was applying to Harvard, I kept wondering what it would be like to be a student at such a historic university. I never imagined that Harvard would become my home.
As the summer of 2019 came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel a longing to return home. To see my family and friends that I hadn’t spoken to in months. Yet, the home I longed for wasn’t the house I spent my childhood growing up in. The home I longed for was my brick and ivy home away from home - Kirkland House.
Housing Day at Harvard is the day that first year students learn which upperclassman house they will live in for the next three years. On Housing Day 2017 I found out that my blocking group had been sorted into the smallest upperclassman house on campus - Kirkland House. Besides being located along the river near Eliot and Winthrop Houses, I knew nothing about Kirkland House.
My blocking group on Housing Day 2017 waiting to find out what house we would be placed in Eli Troen '20
I had no idea that it would become my home away from home. Complete with a family that I loved to bits. The faculty deans of the House Tom and Verena Conley are the loving grandparents that oversee the house. The house administrator, manager, and resident dean are the parents who keep all us rowdy students in line. And you know you can always turn to resident tutors (your aunts and uncles) to provide you with wisdom and sound advice. For the past two years, Kirkland has been a safe haven for me to return to when I need to get away from my crazy packed schedule.
Each year Kirkland takes all the Sophomores and resident tutors on an outing. My sophomore year we created a sports team of people who were all born in the month of March. John Thornton Kirkland
While the thoughts of being a senior and writing a thesis have been daunting, there was an underlying excitement as I moved into my suite in my beloved Kirkland House for the very last time. After unpacking my room, I stood in the courtyard observing the faculty deans and resident tutors chatting with old Kirkland students and new one as puppies romped in the grass. A wave of nostalgia washed over me.
I’ve had both good and bad times here at Harvard, yet as I look back over the past three years, I can only be grateful for the opportunity to attend Harvard College and to make Kirkland my home. My experience has been truly transformative. As I approach senior year, I must constantly remind myself that I have just one more year to give Harvard my all before I must move on to a new adventure.
Kirkland House students dressed up for Housing Day 2019 John Thornton Kirkland
My friend Lourdes and I at the Housing Day rally 2019 representing Kirkland House Lourdes Kaufman '20
A view with my food from my first year, eating in the famous Annenberg Hall.
My friends from my entryway and I pose for a picture together before we go kayaking!
A photo of myself looking at the Zanzibari waters
My blocking group and I after being dorm stormed
My room in the wonderful Stoughton Hall!
My first cookout at Harvard was successful!
An empty room? More like a clean canvas!
A picture of a white poster with "Adams House is the Best House" written on it.
This is our entryway ready for their convocation!
A group of PAFs after an evening of games during orientation.
I got to take photos with my thesis (or at least the first 25 pages of it) on the steps of Widener Library!
Me and a teammate sailing the first double handed sail of the year.
Here's Harpreet and I with our best friends back in high school!
Mt. Auburn Street Side of Harvard University Health Services/Smith Center
The SEF is just one way for low-income students to receive extra support towards the cost of attendance at Harvard
My blockmates and I at Winthrop House on our Housing Day!
I have very specific playlists for every mood.
My family and I during my move in.
Here's a collage of all the outfits I'll be featuring in this blog.
Harvard Yard, where many first-year students live.
I miss doing reading for my English and creative writing classes on my Winthrop House dorm room!
Weld Hall, the first-year dorm where I am a PAF!
My friends and I love hanging out in the roof-top common room in Winthrop House!
I make the most of my Zoom-ed reality by taking calls outside!
Here I am teaching a government class from last summer!
The view of the Charles River from Leveret House, which is right next to Winthrop House!
My Harvard Journal Project notebook, with its (not so successful) attempt to color the Harvard logo on the front.
Snow falling outside Wigglesworth Hall, one of 17 first-year dorms.
