Keep Truckin': Harry Schnur, PSP'13

When Harry Schnur is thinking about his future career, he sees no reason to limit himself to just one dream. But — whether he settles on promoting access to “meaningful, engaging out-of-school opportunities for all young people” through partnership-building or city planning, or starting a food truck company (or both!) — whichever path he takes will be rooted in community.

“[At HGSE] I expanded my vision of what my role should/can/will be in education,” Schnur says. “I started thinking about how small businesses and informal relationships provide critical learning opportunities for youth. I veered away from thinking about ‘the next best program’ to thinking about facilitating deep, long-lasting, and community-driven impact that builds upon existing habits and relationships.”

Prior to enrolling in the Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) Program, Schnur had spent four years working as a youth program coordinator and community organizer in Lynn, Mass. It was in that role that he began to see how community building, political organizing, and youth work interact and build upon each other. He came to HGSE in order to deepen his understanding and effectiveness.

“In so many ways, Harry reflects the spirit of PSP: A strong commitment to youth development; an extraordinary ability to reflect and test his own assumptions; and an impressive ability to understand individual young people as well as the multiple contexts in which they live and develop,” says Senior Lecturer Mandy Savitz-Romer, director of PSP. “As an activist, Harry delights in opportunities to engage with his peers on almost any subject. And, more notably, his approach to education begins and ends with attention to how people are involved in the process. He refutes any specific expertise and instead looks for expertise in others, whether that is his peers, his supervisors, or young people themselves.”

Upon learning that he had been honored with the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award for PSP, Schnur answered some questions about his time at the Ed School and beyond.

Is there any professor or class that significantly shaped your experience at the Ed School? [Senior Lecturer] Karen Mapp’s Elements of Effective Family-School Partnership January Term course had a major impact on my learning. I took that course with a lot of close friends, and Dr. Mapp guided the class through both the intellectual and emotional content of family engagement in a way that really knocked my socks off. It was extremely important for me to be in a course that validated and expanded my beliefs about community organizing and relationship building as it relates to education.

The PSP faculty and staff (Karen Bottari is my hero) were extremely supportive throughout the year. [Professor] Bob Selman kept me honest, Mandy Savitz-Romer made sure I was working hard enough, [Professor] Nancy Hill showed me the humanity of research, and [doctoral candidate] Gretchen Brion-Meisels provided a ton of great ideas and feedback throughout the year. Thank you everyone!

How did you stay inspired throughout the year? Three ways. One, I stayed in touch with the young people and mentors I had worked with in Lynn at the Kaya program. This reminded me of the knowledge they had privileged me with and the purpose I had for entering the program in the first place. Two, I built meaningful relationships with a number of my classmates, who challenged and supported me throughout the year. You know who you are! Three, my partner Joanna and my family were incredibly supportive of me along the way, even during crazy weeks where I couldn’t seem to clear my head or pick up a phone.

If you could transport one person/place/thing from HGSE to your next destination, what would it be? A play-by-play reel of every moment my thinking (or feeling) shifted due to some crazy insightful thing someone said.

What will you change in education and why? In the midst of many voices focused on standardized testing and technological pathways to achievement, I hope to be a voice for the other important aspects of education: student engagement via out-of-school learning, community engagement, and relationship building. In my own education, I found myself most engaged when I was encouraged to question what I was being “sold” and interrogate my own assumptions about the world. I believe it is the responsibility of educators to create space for young people to think critically about the world we live in, so that they can bring their energy to bear on the issues they perceive as important. Wherever I work in the future, I plan to bring that perspective (even when people get tired of hearing me talk about it).

The number one, biggest surprise of the last year was … Being persuaded by classmates to pursue ideas like coMMotion fresh food (my youth and community development food truck pipe-dream). We applied for and were granted a temporary residency at the Harvard iLab, which was like being transported to Silicon Valley. It has been an amazing opportunity and I would not have pursued it without the support and engagement of my friends here.

I also did not expect a professor to throw snowballs in class! But yeah... that happened.