When I first arrived at Harvard, I didn’t expect public service to become such a major part of my life here on campus, but it has easily become the highlight of my Harvard experience.
Of course I did community service in high school, but volunteering wasn’t my thing the way it is now. My first introduction to public service at Harvard was through the SPARK program, a six-week public service program for incoming first-year students who will be matriculating in the fall. The program entails designing a self-directed public service project in your hometown, as well as participating in SPARK virtual programming. I worked with Safe Passage Inc., a nonprofit organization in my hometown that services victims of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence; to this day, it remains one of the most meaningful experiences of my life—public-service related or otherwise.
When I finally arrived on campus, I continued my public service with one of Harvard’s pre-orientation programs (and the best one, if you ask me): the First-Year Urban Program (FUP). FUP programming centers around public service and activism. During the program, you get to meet other students who are interested in public service, hear from local activists, and work with a local nonprofit. Our partner organization was the Chinese Progressive Association, and aside from assisting our organization, we also got to explore Chinatown and eat some delicious (and cheap) Chinese food—I highly recommend it!
Throughout my time here at Harvard, my commitment to public service has only deepened, and that would not have been possible without the institutional support that Harvard provides for students who have secured unpaid public service internships. The summer after my first year, I participated in the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics Summer of Service program, which funded my summer internship at The Children’s Council, another local nonprofit in my hometown that encourages positive youth development. After spending an amazing summer working with this organization, I was able to work with them once more via the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship’s Fong Family Winternship program. The Fong Family Wintership is a three-week program that funds students’ self-directed service projects over winter break (one of the perks of having a five-week winter break). The program allowed me to continue and extend my summer work, and further my relationship with The Children’s Council.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Philip Brooks House Association, which is the locus of all things public-service related on campus. They have over 50 social service and social action programs that give students a fun, low-stakes opportunity to get involved in public service and the Cambridge/Boston community. This year, I joined the BRYE Extension Program, which provides after-school enrichment for elementary school students at the Mather School, the first public elementary school in North America, located about 30 minutes from Harvard Square in Dorchester, MA. Fridays at the Mather School with the kids have certainly been the highlight of my sophomore year.
Though public service is not what Harvard is known for, the public service scene on campus is very much alive, and I am so proud to say that I am an active participant. I encourage every student to volunteer at least once during their time at Harvard—who knows, you just might find your calling.
