One of the greatest opportunities that I’ve encountered at Harvard is the chance to access a wide range of courses, students, and professors— without sacrificing my main academic interests.

I’ve had the freedom to pursue an Applied Mathematics major with a focus in economics, while taking classes in studio arts, tech ethics, philosophy, and more. Although the Gen Ed program can seem intimidating when entering as a first-year, I found it a useful framework for accessing all of these different fields. Without even thinking about it, I was able to satisfy most of my requirements by pursuing my interests. Perhaps because of my affinity for jumping around, I had never planned to do a thesis. My experiences with research papers in class had been fun, but I didn’t think I was capable of dedicating almost a year to creating my own model of an economic problem.

Then courses transitioned into the virtual space. Suddenly, doing a thesis felt like a way to regain some of the experience of my senior year and try something brand new. Nervous that I was starting too late, I reached out to my faculty dean— Dr. Kiran Gajwani— and she reassured me that I still had time to begin the process. From there it was a whirlwind of brainstorming, reaching out to students and teaching fellows, and meeting with professors. During this time, I couldn’t help but reflect on my freshman year. When I first came to Harvard, one of the things I was most nervous about was meeting with professors or going to office hours. Reaching out felt like being a burden or taking up valuable time. Now, I’ve come to realize that talking to professors and asking faculty for help creates the opportunity to build amazing relationships (and also saves a lot of hours alone googling!). In early August I found a thesis advisor and I had an idea: to examine the impact of specific types of discriminatory religious legislation on labor market outcomes. In the fall semester, I enrolled in an Economics Thesis Seminar. 

Although it was still difficult to be confined to the Zoom world, my thesis seminar was one of the best parts of this academic year. Once again, I was nervous about presenting my ideas and trying to write my presentations in Beamer (a class of LaTex used for slideshows). Luckily, my class was incredibly supportive. Our two-hour evening meetings became a window of exciting ideas (and the occasional rant session) that I looked forward to. Each time I learned a new skill— from restructuring raw data into panel sets or communicating demographic data more effectively. I felt more and more like I was a fourth-year student: someone maybe ready to take on post-graduate life… or maybe it’s too soon to fully say that! But the ideas I’ve developed in my thesis and the friends I made make me feel more prepared to take on what’s ahead. 

In mid-March, hands shaking, I pressed the submit button on my thesis, from my parent’s kitchen in San Diego. To be totally honest, the click was a little anticlimactic after almost eight months of holding this paper so near and dear to my heart. My wonderful family, however, brought out a cake for me— even after a month of putting up with my stressed rants and unexpected thesis tears! The days that followed were full of zoom parties, congratulations, and unexpected care packages. Without online courses, I don’t know if I would have pursued a thesis. But being at Harvard has helped me learn how to take opportunities as they come and find the joy in adapting to new circumstances and new things.