Investing in Education
In Their Shoes
By Lory Hough
Forget a new plaque for Conroy Commons or a flagpole outside the library. This year’s annual class gift — money for financial aid — is all about current students helping future students.
“We aren’t a rich school, by Harvard standards,” says current master’s student Jennifer Heckathorn, “but we can try to take care of our own.”
This is exactly why Heckathorn and eight other Ed School master’s students, all swamped with classes and papers that need to be written, signed on as class gift volunteers to help meet an ambitious goal: $10,000 and 45 percent participation. All semester they’ve been brainstorming ways to reach other students. They held a phonathan and created a class gift website.
Once the campaign officially kicked off in mid-April, they spent hours nearly every day through May talking to other students at information tables set up in the library and cafeteria. They also helped coordinate the Applaud an Educator program: Every student who donated $25 or more was able to honor an influential educator in his or her life. The honored person received a certificate and individualized letter from Dean Kathleen McCartney and his or her name was posted on the website.
“It could be a teacher or parent, coach, or mentor,” says Lindsay Cassidy, the school’s fund coordinator. “Whoever made an impact on his or her learning.”
For one volunteer, Janet Newhall, a master’s student in the Higher Education Program who came up with the class gift theme, Building the Future, One Gift at a Time, getting other students to understand that their contributions matter has become her personal crusade.
“I’m hoping that students will understand that every dollar is important and the Ed School depends on them. Just because we’re Harvard doesn’t mean we’re rich,” she says. “That message is getting across. Now anyone I talk to knows that we can’t depend just on Harvard. We are not the wealthiest school.” In some ways, volunteering on this project is also personal for Newhall, who receives a Pell Grant, as it is for many of the other students.
“It’s easier to sell something when you’re affected by it,” she says.
Heckathorn feels the same way. When she got her acceptance letter from the Ed School — a dream bordering on reality, she says — everyone told her she had to go. Her response every time was, “It’ll depend on finances.”
“I knew it wouldn’t be feasible without aid,” she says. “Luckily, I received an offer that made me able to say, ‘Yes, it will be hard, but I can go.’ When I was sent a letter from the financial aid office over the summer that said they had extra funds and I would be granted more aid than initially estimated, I was ecstatic. Knowing that I can be here because of the generosity of others has partially sparked my willingness to give back.”
Newhall says that even if she didn’t get financial aid, she would have volunteered to help raise money for others because having a diverse pool of learners at the school is critical. One example, she says, are the students who come to the school through the Urban Scholars Fellowship Program, which funds full tuition and health insurance for a handful of educators committed to working in urban schools.
“The urban scholar in one of my classes is one of the best parts of being in class every day,” says Newhall. “He’s funny and smart. Financial aid makes it possible for amazing people like him to come who may not have otherwise been able to attend.”
The other class gift volunteers include Alissa Valiante, Annick Charlot, Kay Traester, Joanna Grossman, Bernie Muller, Irene Chen, and Simone Barnes.
