Are you a leader in public service? Do you want to make public service an integral part of Harvard residential life? If so, apply to be a House Public Service Representative or Service to Society First-Year Council Member. Download applications here.

Responsibilities will include:

• Attending one meeting each month during the 2019-2020 academic year;
• Collaborating with their respective Public Service Tutors & Proctors and other public service representatives;
• Planning and hosting at least one public service event in their respective residences each month (refer to minimum expectations list of events/activities);
• Acting as a public service email liaison for volunteer opportunities and other relevant public service events and information to their respective Houses; and
• Publicizing campus-wide ‘Service to Society’ projects in their respective houses.

The ideal candidate will be:

• Able to communicate effectively
• Interested in public service and/or public interest careers
• Capable of reaching out to and working with a diverse body of people including other students, Public Service Tutors, and Harvard staff
• Willing to learn about primary public service offices/organizations’ structure and programming
• Able to maintain open communication channels with public service staff
• Responsive to emails
• Self-directed, outgoing and creative
• Available to field questions from students and address them in a timely manner
• Able to conduct other responsibilities as they arise

House Public Service Representatives and Service to Society First-Year Council Members will receive funding each semester to sponsor public service-related events. Public Service Representatives and Service to Society First-Year Council Members will receive $300 stipends each semester for meeting expectations.

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Pedro De Abreu, Service to Society Fellow, at abreu@fas.harvard.edu. 

Harvard College announced today two key appointments at the Phillips Brooks House Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship as it expands efforts to connect students and faculty who share an interest in working to improve communities.Charles Warren Professor of the History of American Education Julie Reuben of the Graduate School of Education has been chosen as the inaugural faculty director, and Travis Lovett has been named assistant dean of civic engagement and service. The announcement came in an e-mail to students from Danoff Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana on Tuesday afternoon.

In his email, Khurana noted the important role that the Phillips Brooks House has played in cultivating on campus a culture of public service, a core value of the College.

“For more than a century the Phillips Brooks House has been the focal point for public service in all its many forms at Harvard,” he said. “Today, we continue to see service as central to our mission of educating citizens and citizen leaders.”

Reuben and Lovett were selected following a search that brought together a broad selection of representatives from the community. The Assistant Dean Search Committee was chaired by Mark Gearan, director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and interim faculty dean at Winthrop House, and Sheila Thimba, Harvard College dean of administration and finance, who served as interim dean for public service for the last year.

“It was important to us that we conduct the search in a highly inclusive manner, reflecting the wide-ranging interest that our community has in these roles and in the work of PBH in general,” Thimba said. “We were able to do that by working closely with students, faculty, staff, alumni, National Advisory Board for Public Service, and the FAS Faculty Standing Committee on Public Service.”

The creation of the new faculty director position will boost opportunities for students, Thimba added.

“With Julie’s help we’ll be working to expand what we are able to offer to students in terms of support for civic engagement,” she said. “She can help us think about how faculty energy can be brought into the center. We’ve seen lots of faculty step up to create courses, and faculty who are prepared to bring students with them as they do research that’s public-facing, and I really think that’s a great opportunity for the center to engage students and faculty.”

School of Education Dean Bridget Terry Long agrees.

“I am delighted about this appointment, which is a fitting role for Julie, given her superb leadership of the new Education as a Secondary Concentration, an option available to undergraduates interested in studying education,” she said. “In her new role, Julie will help HGSE to continue to build bridges to undergraduates who are interested in pursuing careers in public service and education, and I look forward to seeing that program grow.”

Reuben said she’s looking forward to getting started.

“This new center reflects Harvard’s deep commitment to preparing its students to understand the challenges facing our society and to develop the skills and disposition to address those challenges,” she said. “The center will support existing programs that engage students in political and civic activities and develop dynamic new opportunities. We are confident that Harvard College will be a leader in public engagement in the 21st century.”

Lovett, who has served in several leadership roles at Phillips Brooks House since 2011, noted that placing greater focus on academics will give students the tools to develop a broader understanding of the problems they’re trying to solve and develop more effective solutions.

“Realigning our center as an academically focused department of the College is a critical step in providing our students with the resources they need to succeed as future civic leaders,” he said.

“I look forward to working closely with Julie and Travis in these new roles as we continue to advance public service and civic engagement as cornerstones of a Harvard College education,” Khurana said.

Read the article in the Gazette.

Article here: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/08/incoming-first-year-given-opportunity-to-sample-public-service/

A summer of helping

Program for incoming first-years offers an opportunity to sample public service

BY Manisha Aggarwal-SchifelliteHarvard Staff Writer

DATEAugust 19, 2019

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Plan an art show with no budget. As a summer volunteer. In less than six weeks.

That was Ezra Feder’s assignment when he started in July at Artists for Humanity (AFH) in Boston, a nonprofit that provides paid employment in art and design to lower-income teens in the city.

Working 80 hours over five weeks, Feder ’23, an incoming first-year Harvard student, single-handedly organized and promoted AFH’s Summer Exhibition, slated for Aug. 22 at the AFH EpiCenter in South Boston. He found event sponsors, solicited donations for refreshments, and exercised community outreach across the city to spread the word about the exhibition, which is an opportunity for AFH’s artists to display and sell their work to gallery visitors.

“It was really terrific meeting and working with the artists because they’re such an exuberant and creative group,” said Feder, a native of Sharon, Mass. “This kind of work requires a lot of teamwork from the artists and the administrative staff, and that’s something that’s really impressive to see in action. I hope to keep that impression with me as I move forward.”

Feder came by this venture into public service as a participant in Harvard’s new Service Starts with Summer Program (3SP) for incoming first-year students. The program calls for participants to commit to giving at least 100 hours to a community project in or near their hometowns during the summer before starting school. Feder devoted 80 hours to direct service and 20 to professional development activities, including webinars, cohort meetings, and a day of service on campus. Typically, participants work with nonprofits and are unpaid, so they are eligible to receive a $1,500 stipend from 3SP.

Feder reached out to AFH for a volunteer placement on the recommendation of a sibling who had volunteered there in the past, and was quickly drawn to the organization’s mission to help young artists gain self-sufficiency skills, career training, and educational assistance.

The AFH artists work in a variety of media, including video, animation, photography, painting, and graphic design. They get support from mentors in their chosen fields to learn technical and business skills specific to their interests. AFH has sold or leased pieces to big clients including John Hancock, Nixon Peabody, Champion, and the Massachusetts Port Authority.

“There is a term in Hebrew, tikkun olam, which means to ‘repair the world,’ not just to help yourself but to help others,” said Feder. “That’s always been a significant value in my life, and it’s a natural extension of that value to participate in 3SP and to continue doing community service at Harvard.”

We are excited to share the news about one of our Service Starts with Summer Program (3SP) students, Marilynn Miguel!

See article here.

 

Harvard-bound student offering to help teens achieve their college dream

Marilynn Miguel, a Vineland High senior, talks to The Daily Journal about her Harvard University acceptance. Adam Monacelli, Vineland Daily Journal

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VINELAND – Before Vineland High School Class of 2019 grad Marilynn Miguel starts Harvard University in a few weeks, her goal is to put other Cumberland County teens on the path to their dream colleges.

During a recent visit to her new university, Harvard unveiled a new community outreach initiative — Service Starts with Summer — encouraging incoming freshmen to implement service projects in their hometowns.

“I immediately knew I wanted to do something with college preparation because I had so much help,” Miguel said, noting the support she received through connections she made with organizations while taking advantage of educational opportunities.

When she was a sixth-grader, Miguel wrote down her goals, including a section on how to get into Harvard. She checked that off her to-do list when she received a full scholarship to the Ivy League school worth about $80,000 per year.

Drawing upon her own experience as a first-generation college student coming from an economically challenged community, she developed a two-day mentorship program to help get students over their hurdles to higher education.

Harvard funded 50 of the proposals submitted by eligible freshmen.

Vineland High School Class of 2018 graduate Marilynn Miguel, who starts Harvard University at the end of the month, is hosting at two-day 'bootcamp' to help teens try to achieve their college dreams. (Photo: Deborah M. Marko)

“And I’m one of them,” she said, referring to her $1,500 stipend.

The free college preparation program will be held in two sessions running 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 13 and Aug. 15 at Vineland High School South and has the support of her former principal.

"I continue to be so impressed by Marilynn's passion and dedication to Vineland High School,” VHS Principal Suzette DeMarchi said. “We are so excited she chose to focus her efforts on helping all Cumberland County high schoolers pursue higher education.

“This opportunity is a first for VHS,” DeMarchi said. “It demonstrates the character, passion, and drive our students have within them.”

Session One

Set for Aug. 13, the agenda focuses on what is possible with speakers, panel discussions and a college fair. All high school students are welcome, no registration required.

Miguel’s theme is inspiration with a Princeton University admissions officer on the program.

Vineland High senior Marilynn Miguel awarded full Harvard scholarship

According to the NJ School Performance Report, 61.9 percent of VHS Class of 2018 graduates enrolled in college, where the state average is 77.9 percent. Of those VHS students, less than 30 percent enrolled in a four-year institution.

During the mentoring program, about three dozen recent high school graduates will share their “what I wish I had known” insights on financial aid, interviews and college applications.

“We all wish that we had this type of program,” Miguel said, of her colleagues’ support. Joking, she added, “It will be really fun to be able to pass on the knowledge, especially now that we are recently scarred — it’s fresh in our minds.”

Learning of her program, the Hispanic Advisory Board of Rowan College of South Jersey asked to participate.

“That was absolutely amazing, I’m very, very, thrilled,” she said.

Miguel also lined up experts to address DREAMers, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as youngsters, as well as minority recruitment.

More than 125 colleges from just about all 50 states will be represented.

“Our students don’t have the means to visit their school of choice out of state, so hopefully this will help them be more aware of all the wonderful colleges available to them,” she said. Students “can literally go shopping for colleges.”

“I want to bring as much information as I can here because before I started my college application process, I only visited three colleges because I didn’t have the funds to visit any other colleges,” she said.

Parents are encouraged to attend and the program is bilingual.

“The college application is a family process,” Miguel said. “Regardless of their background, students need to be supported by their parents, and the parents by the students.”

Session Two

This Aug. 15 program is exclusively for incoming high school seniors and their parents.

Registration is required for the one-to-one “boot camp” so Miguel can match participants to volunteers and computer access.

Students will be setting up their Common Application to apply to more than 800 colleges and universities and creating Free Application for Federal Student Aid IDs to apply for grants, work-study and loans. Parents will need to provide income information to complete the applications.

“Come in with college application lists, or you can come in knowing nothing,” Miguel said. “We will sit down and walk you through one-by-one.”

Miguel knows how she will measure the program’s success.

“By the number of students who say that this helped,” she said, hoping other will share her joy of achieving a goal.

“I don’t how to react when people say, “You’re moving up,’” she said, noting her path isn’t changing who she is.  “This just feels like Harvard is trying to unlock potential that is there.”

Her college prep program is an attempt to share that with others and help them discover their own possibilities.

“It’s exciting,” she said, “Honestly, this has been so much fun.”

So many people volunteered to help, Miguel may not need to spend all of Harvard’s money.

But she plans to ensure it all goes to help a new class of college-bound graduates, giving what funds remain to the VHS guidance department should "any other student wants to pick-up this project, do this again.”

For any questions, contact Miguel at 1952963mmiguel.vineland.org.

 

We are excited to announce the inaugural Cohort Leaders for the Service Starts with Summer Program (3SP) at Harvard College. 3SP Cohort Leaders will support 3SP students with leadership development and reflection throughout the summer. More about the Cohort Leaders Hillary McLauchlin (Class of 2020), Dani Pérez (Class of 2021), Scotty Kall (Class of 2020), and Alexa Brown (Class of 2020) below!

 

 Hillary McLauchlin

Class of 2020

Concentration(s): History & Literature, East Asian

Studies

Hometown(s): Tampa, FL

Pronouns: she/her/hers

What are your plans for the summer? Where will you be and what will you be doing? This summer I will be working in Washington, DC as an Operations Intern for Coding it Forward, a non-profit that promotes civic tech by providing opportunities for students to apply their technological skills to projects with social impact. My work will be focused on executing the third year of the organization's Civic Digital Fellowship internship program as it continues to expand. I'm looking forward to finally having the chance to explore DC (send any recommendations my way!) before heading back to Cambridge to (hopefully)start thinking about thesis research as well as spend time with friends & family.

Briefly, what are some of your previous/current involvements with public service during your time at Harvard? While at Harvard, I have served on the PBHA Service to Society First-Year Council and been involved with the Harvard Chinatown ESL program as both an English teacher and director. Another highlight from my time at Harvard has been serving as a PAF in Wigglesworth B! I've spent the past two summers working for NGOs (an education non-profit in Shanghai and a think tank in Boston as an IOP Director's Intern) thanks to really great Harvard programs focused on public service.

In this current moment, what are you most excited about? I'm currently super excited about the DC bucket list I've been busy compiling (and my imminent trip to get cupcakes in Georgetown), starting my summer job, and meeting all of you! I'm also more generally excited--and terrified--about being a senior next year, but look forward to having a chance to get to know the class of 2023 this summer.

Where, in what, or in whom do you find hope? Music and art have always been a source of hope for me, and I'm a strong believer in the important role that art and media play in bringing about social change. Theater/musical performances, museums, and seeing the ways in which artistic expression shapes communities has always inspired and energized me.

What is a book or two (that you haven't read yet) that you've been meaning to read? Two of the many books I've been hoping to find time to read are Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse (I'm trying to make my way through my English concentrator friends' reading lists) and Anne Harrington's (my house's faculty dean) new book Mind Fixers.

What's something you own (a physical object) that is personally meaningful to you? Why is it meaningful? While in high school and college I have kept a journal that has you write a sentence every day. It's been really interesting to look back to see what I was doing exactly a year before and the subtle changes that take place. It's been a great way to reflect on my time in school and not forget memories that might not otherwise be documented.

If your personality were to manifest as a kitchen utensil, what would it be and why? While not a super original answer, I have to say a fork just because my ten-year old self decided to dress-up as a fork for Halloween because the costume came with a cool hat. So I guess you could say my personality did actually manifest itself as a kitchen utensil at one point.

What's something about you (biographical fact, ability, talent, belief, opinion, etc.) that often take other people by surprise? That I'm from Florida because I get sunburned so easily!

 

Dani Pérez

Class of 2021

Concentration(s): History and Literature

Hometown(s): Hallock, MN and Valencia, Venezuela

Pronouns: She/they

 

What are your plans for the summer? Where will you be and what will you be doing? I’m currently studying abroad for five weeks in Mexico City, which is my favorite city so far. Then I’ll be going home to Minnesota to spend time with family and (hopefully) film a short documentary about the celebration of queer identity at church.

Briefly, what are some of your previous/current involvements with public service during your time at Harvard? I was part of the Service to Society Freshman Council my first year. For the past two years, I’ve taught theatre arts to elementary students in Cambridge through a PBHA after-school program called STAGE, which I’m excited to co-direct this year. I’m also a part of the Memorial Church Grants Committee, which grants funding to public service organizations in the Greater Boston Area.

In this current moment, what are you most excited about? I’m most excited to see the ocean in a couple weeks! Where, in what, or in whom do you find hope? I find hope in my faith, my grandma, my five-year-old brother, and my communities.

What is a book or two (that you haven't read yet) that you've been meaning to read? The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

What's something you own (a physical object) that is personally meaningful to you? Why is it meaningful? My camera is probably the object that means the most to me. My family pitched in to gift it to me a few years ago, and I take it everywhere I travel. I feel like photography is the art form that I most pour myself into, and it makes me feel so happy and grounded.

If your personality were to manifest as a kitchen utensil, what would it be and why? An ice cream scooper. I love helping people get to whatever makes them happy. I also highkey just want to be close to ice cream at any time.

Write your abbreviated personal mission statement, or your motto at this point in your life, in one sentence. (<30 words) Love, give, and serve joyously and generously, using what you have to build loving community, help those who need it, and work for a greater, all-inclusive good.

What's something about you (biographical fact, ability, talent, belief, opinion, etc.) that often take other people by surprise? I lost my last tooth when I was 16 years old in the bathroom of a Detroit hotel room.

 

Scotty Kall

Class of 2020

Concentration(s): Sociology

Hometown(s): Hudson, MA

Pronouns: He/him/his

 

What are your plans for the summer? Where will you be and what will you be doing? Until June 30, I'll be on campus doing a variety of things. I'm giving tours of Harvard for Trademark Tours, starting thesis work, helping do some prep work for the First-Year Arts Program, and running the script comp for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Then from June 30-August 10, I'll be in NYC doing a 6-week acting intensive at Atlantic Acting School.

Briefly, what are some of your previous/current involvements with public service during your time at Harvard? Freshman year I was a part of the education policy research team through the IOP, and my team helped put together a 65 page report about college sexual assault survey policies that we gave to an MA state legislator. I then spent a while working with a team of other students on an independent social innovation project called NEXT, which was designed to promote youth community engagement through mentorship (we managed to get through our pilot class of 'fellows' and one semester of regular fellows). This past year, I was a liaison for Brittany Packnett at the IOP and I also taught civics this year through IOP CIVICS, and joined the curriculum committee as well.

In this current moment, what are you most excited about? I'm really excited for senior year! It's my last year at Harvard, so I want to make the most of it. Where, in what, or in whom do you find hope? The young people of this country who I have faith will make this country, and world, a better place. For example, I was helping out with the second IOP CIVICS field trip, where we brought students from one of our partner schools to campus and ran a CIVICS lesson with them. These fifth grade students from under-resourced schools were talking about combatting the wage gap, mass incarceration, and gun violence. In fifth grade!! I didn't even know what any of that was, and these kids wanted to writeletters to members of Congress to get them to help tackle these problems. THAT gives me hope.

What is a book or two (that you haven't read yet) that you've been meaning to read? I desperately need to read 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama!!

What's something you own (a physical object) that is personally meaningful to you? Why is it meaningful? It's an old stuffed teddy bear I still have at home. It means a lot to me because my grandpa won it for me in a claw machine, and that was the last time I saw him before he passed away. 

If your personality were to manifest as a kitchen utensil, what would it be and why? Definitely a spork cos it's like quirky and fun but still figuring out what it can best be used for. Write your abbreviated personal mission statement, or your motto at this point in your life, in one sentence. (<30 words) Be unapologetically yourself, today and every day.

What's something about you (biographical fact, ability, talent, belief, opinion, etc.) that often take other people by surprise? I hiccup like a pterodactyl lol (weird fact but it's my go-to and I'm sure people will hear it eventually).

 

Alexa Brown

Class of 2020

Concentration(s): Sociology and African American Studies

joint concentration, Education Studies secondary

Hometown(s): Springfield, IL

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

 

What are your plans for the summer? Where will you be and what will you be doing? I am a director for Roxbury Youth Initiative (RYI), an educational enrichment summer camp serving 80 children, ages 6-13 from the Roxbury area.

Briefly, what are some of your previous/current involvements with public service during your time at Harvard? I have directed RYI and RYI Term Time for two years, I was a counselor for Mission Hill After School Program, a prison tutor, advocacy board member, and Outreach Director for Harvard Organization for Prison Education and Advocacy (HOPE), a First Year Day of Service lead, and I directed a free SAT prep course for first gen, low income students through a non-profit called Let's Get Ready. In this current moment, what are you most excited about? I am most excited to see all my kids again when camp starts on July 1!!

Where, in what, or in whom do you find hope? I find hope in the faces of my campers, siblings, and children everywhere. What is a book or two (that you haven't read yet) that you've been meaning to read? I have been meaning to read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond and Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence Of Racism by Derrick Bell.

What's something you own (a physical object) that is personally meaningful to you? Why is it meaningful? I have an engraved star thing my mom sent me for my 21st birthday that has since meant the world to me. 

If your personality were to manifest as a kitchen utensil, what would it be and why? It would be a blender because I spend a lot of time taking things and combining them into functioning units.

Write your abbreviated personal mission statement, or your motto at this point in your life, in one sentence. (<30 words) Organized people beat organized power every time.

What's something about you (biographical fact, ability, talent, belief, opinion, etc.) that often take other people by surprise? I have nine tattoos and twelve siblings.

 

 

 

Social Engagement Through Music New Course Connects Students, Local Artists of Color article about a Mindich program here: https://music.fas.harvard.edu/Social%20Engagement%20Through%20Music.pdf