Policy with Purpose

The Intellectual Contribution Award recognizes graduating Ed.M. students (two from each master’s degree program) whose dedication to scholarship enhanced HGSE’s academic community and positively affected fellow students. All recipients were nominated by their classmates based on who inspired them, helped them gain a different perspective on education's challenges, and contributed to shared learning and intellectual growth, both inside and outside of the classroom. Each program's faculty directors, in consultation with other faculty and staff, selected the final honorees for their program based on the nominations and on demonstrated academic success.

Nené Palomo and Alexis Lassiter will be honored with the Intellectual Contribution Award for the Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) Program during HGSE Convocation exercises on May 28. We asked the winners about their time at HGSE, their future goals, and what drives them in education.

Maria-Renée “Nené” Palomo

Hometown: San Salvador, El Salvador

Maria-Renée “Nené” Palomo is the epitome of EPA’s motto “rigor with kindness.” She consistently demonstrated outstanding commitment to intellectual development, cross-cultural dialogue, and collaborative scholarship during her time in the Education Policy and Analysis Program. Nené stands out as both an exceptional community builder and analytical thinker, leveraging her global perspective to engage her peers in meaningful inquiry. – EPA faculty

What are your post-HGSE plans?
I have too many plans! I want to continue researching how to make education systems more efficient. I'd love to work for the World Bank or the Inter-American Development Bank in their education department. I'm also co-founding Teach For El Salvador, so I'm now working on the strategic plan. This would allow me to combine my two passions: policy implementation and research.

Is there a professor or class that significantly shaped your experience at the Ed School? 
Professor Emiliana Vegas, my adviser, has been incredibly supportive from the beginning of the year. She’s my role model. As a Latin American woman, she has made so many contributions to global education, and despite her many accomplishments, she’s remained approachable and generous with her advice. I was fortunate to work as her research assistant this semester and learned so much from her!

Another was Visiting Associate Professor Alejandro Ganimian. I took his course, Economics of Education in LMICs, which was by far my favorite. Every aspect, from the readings to the in-class discussions, helped me understand what works (and what doesn’t) in education policy, grounded in rigorous economic evidence. Ale’s passion for the subject made it even more inspiring.

What is something that you learned this year that you will take with you throughout your career in education?
I've learned that friends and professors can make all the difference. I took a class with Fernando Reimers, who generously introduced us to his unmatched network, including successful HGSE alumni who spoke with us about their career paths! I gained so much from my classmates and feel privileged to have learned alongside future leaders. I truly believe some of my friends will go on to become ministers of education!

Any advice for incoming HGSE students?
Go to conferences and talks, support your friends in their projects, and make the time to attend office hours. It’s through those social interactions that you learn the most and build the relationships that truly shape your experience.

Alexis Lassiter

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Throughout her time in the Education Policy and Analysis Program, Alexis Lassiter has demonstrated extraordinary intellectual leadership, curiosity, and courage. Faculty describe Alexis as someone who not only excels in coursework, but also pushes her own learning well beyond the classroom. She engages in ambitious independent projects and consistently asks bold, insightful questions that challenge conventional thinking. Her enthusiasm for understanding complex policies and research methods is matched only by her commitment to ensuring they are grounded in context, equity, and real-world relevance. – EPA faculty

What were your goals when you came to the Ed School and how have those goals changed?  
When I arrived at the Ed School, my primary goal was to gain the skills needed to become a competitive applicant for economics Ph.D. programs. Over the course of the year, however, I realized that my intellectual passions align more closely with sociological scholarship. My interests have evolved toward exploring cultural narratives and the ways they shape social behaviors.

After HGSE, I plan to pursue research assistantships and apply to quantitative sociology Ph.D. programs during the upcoming selection cycle. I’m especially interested in how cultural narratives influence racial allyship within and between social groups.

Is there a professor or class that significantly shaped your experience at the Ed School? 
Being selected as an Equity and Inclusion Fellow (EIF) under the guidance of Lecturer Houman Harouni and [administrator] Joe Pinto has been one of the most transformative aspects of my HGSE experience. The work of adaptive leadership has challenged me to hold up a mirror to myself and has deepened my understanding of human complexity. While HGSE is known for the motto, “Learn to change the world,” as part of the EIF program, we live by a powerful counterpart: “Change to learn the world.”

Any advice for incoming HGSE students? 
You are the only one standing in your way. The minute you received that acceptance letter, Harvard opened its doors to you. Don’t waste a second questioning whether you belong here — you do. You are brilliant, and you deserve to take up space.