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Meet Luke Taylor-Ide

"The flexibility of this program, combined with the quality of faculty and course offerings across Harvard, is truly unique." Luke Taylor-Ide, Ed.M., Special Studies

“I was passionate about applied, interdisciplinary issues related to education, public health and social entrepreneurship,” says Luke Taylor-Ide. “I looked at many different programs, worldwide, until I discovered HGSE’s Special Studies Program.”

It was a decision that came as no surprise to Luke’s family. His great-grandfather, a physician and missionary, spent his life serving within villages across the Indian subcontinent. His grandfather (“who literally grew up hunting tigers in India!”) was a Harvard Medical School graduate, a pioneer in the field of international health, and founder of the first School of International Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. His father, an Ed.D. graduate from HGSE, is the founder of Future Generations — an international nonprofit dedicated to sustainable, community-led development that now serves communities across 19 countries. And, back home in West Virginia, his parents have helped establish an outdoor education program, urban youth programs, as well as a well-known scholars program for low-income students. “I was, of course, determined to get into a completely unrelated field,” says Luke with a laugh. “But as an undergraduate, I had an internship with Future Generations in India, and knew I’d found my calling. I spent the next five years running development and training programs across three countries. Eventually, in 2009, I ended up in Afghanistan to help rewrite the national community-based healthcare strategy and serve on the election commission.

“Increasingly, I found myself rethinking my community development work in fundamental ways — in terms of social education leading to behavioral change. I wanted to explore both traditional, as well as more experimental approaches. And, through this program, I’ve learned from world-renowned experts across HGSE, the Kennedy School, public health, and the arts and sciences. I’ve constructed my own curriculum, understood the strengths and limitations of different disciplines, and focused on the notion of empowerment education incorporating diverse backgrounds and fields. I’m even thinking about designing my own interdisciplinary doctorate.”

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