Stories about students and alumni

In May 2013, 744 graduates walked down Appian Way to close their chapter at HGSE. Civil rights leader James Meredith addressed the graduates at Convocation, and Kathleen McCartney led her last Commencement as dean of HGSE, a position she had held since 2006. In her speech, she shared one last piece of advice: “Challenge is a universal life experience. All of you will encounter moments in your careers that feel like loss, difficulty, or struggle. But each of us decides the way forward.” With Commencement 2018 on the horizon, we’ve reconnected with several of the 2013 winners of the...

Students who don't think they are "into" science or who may find traditional science courses daunting should step into master’s candidate Arla Casselman’s classroom. She brings her passion for food and agriculture to life as she teaches best practices in food sustainability with her students. In her elective classes at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine, Casselman works to ignite students’ interest in science through lessons and projects that are accessible. “I think when students can see how science is actually happening all around them in their own environment they are more...

As a student, W.E.B. Du Bois understood the segregated world of Harvard in the late 19th century all too well. But the future scholar and Civil Rights leader, who would also become the first African-American to receive a doctorate from the college, made one attempt to cross the racial divide. “I did have a good singing voice and loved music,” Du Bois wrote in his autobiography, “so I entered the competition for the glee club…. Quite naturally I was rejected.” It is also natural that the orchestra founded in his name would be dedicated to addressing issues of social exclusion in the arts and...

This week (October 22–28) marks the first ever Worldwide Week at Harvard, which highlights the tremendous work being done globally by the greater Harvard community. Throughout the week, events, talks, symposia, and activities are being held — including Friday’s Askwith Forum, “Learning to Change the World” — that demonstrate a commitment to global issues and offer the chance to engage with the work of a variety of disciplines across the university. Here, four master’s candidates in the International Education Policy Program, focus on global education and reflect on why the field is so...

For Josh Delaney, Ed.M.’14 — senior education policy adviser to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren — the journey to Capitol Hill was not direct. He went from majoring in journalism, advertising, new media, and theater at the University of Georgia to becoming a high school special education teacher focused on mathematics. Planning to shift his career to education policy, he then enrolled in the Ed School’s Education Policy and Management Program. That’s when, he says, he got really lucky. “I ended up doing a fellowship with Senator Warren for former teachers interested in working on the...

“Brendan was greatly admired and respected by his colleagues and many friends at HGSE and across the university, and will be deeply missed by all those whose lives he touched,” said Dean James Ryan. Russell, Ed.M.’07, a former lawyer and teacher, studied religion, law, and education as a doctoral student. Those who knew him remember Randall as a passionate, dedicated learner with endless energy. He held a number of positions including as a senior consultant focused on campus engagement at Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, a senior researcher for the Pluralism Project at Harvard University,...

Darienne Driver, Ed.M.'06, Ed.D.'14, is as creative and energetic as they come. Now, entering her fourth year as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, she has already crossed from her list of goals significant reforms: Earlier start to the school year. Check. School uniforms. Check. Partnerships with community organizations. Check. Higher graduation rate. Check. Increase in attendance. Check. After speaking with Driver for a few minutes, it becomes clear that she shows no signs of slowing down. She speaks quickly, praising Milwaukee schools and its people. Driver is the first woman...

We expect the Ed School to produce the next generation of great teachers, education entrepreneurs, and policymakers, but for Leah Waldo, Ed.M.'15, her time on Appian Way, including one foot-stomping, memorable event, led her on an unexpected journey from Cambridge to Nashville to become a country musician. It was truly a life-changing afternoon for Waldo as she sat in the audience of Askwith Hall in January 2015, listening to country legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood share stories of their own careers. At one point, Brooks described how after all his years performing he still got...

It was the most amazing Amazing Race ever for Scott Flanary, Ed.M.'10. In June, this self-described superfan of the CBS reality adventure show was announced the winner of the 29th season, along with his teammate, Brooke Camhi. Ed. caught up with Flanary, a campus recruiter, to talk strategy, TV fame, and spending the prize money. You took leave from work? I once told my boss that I was a huge reality show fanatic and if I were ever cast on a show, I’d need a leave of absence. She agreed. When the time came, I let her know I was cashing in on my “need to leave.” (I was speaking in code...

When California native Stephany Cuevas, Ed.M.'15, a current doctoral student, moved to the East Coast in 2012, she was more than familiar with the term “undocuAlly,” which basically states that someone has made a commitment to be a visible ally to undocumented students and their families. Having lived in California in a predominantly Latino community, and having been a student at University of California, Berkeley, where the topic of immigration predominates, she had heard the term often. Cuevas was surprised, then, when she moved to the East Coast in 2012 to start the Ed.D. Program, how...