Okay, so last week my cousin Nasir (known to Hip Hop fans as NAS) was the first Hip Hop artist to have a fellowship bestowed in his name at Harvard University, for aspiring students and professors to further their research in the arts. My mommy and I flew to Boston to celebrate with him and my cousin, his daughter, Destiny. We arrived late, but Nasir waited for us so we could have a quiet meal before the net day’s celebration. We stayed in the heart of Cambridge, just a few minutes from MIT, Emerson College and of course Harvard University.
Little did I know that the next day would be life changing for me. I don’t know about you, but whenever I heard talk about Ivy League schools, I just assumed that they were out of reach. BOY WAS I WRONG. After the morning press conference, where I met Dr. Henry Luis Gates Jr., Dr. Larry Bobo and Dr. Marcyliena Morgan, all amazing professors at Harvard, we were given a personal tour of the campus AND I was even able to walk into an African American film studies class where they were analyzing the movie Amistad. Surreal! During the tour, which was given by a student athlete, I began to understand just how much the University wants their students to succeed. As freshman, all of the students are in housing in the same area, which has a beautiful courtyard in the middle. In the movies, Harvard seemed like a big scary place, where only the students who study every second of the day get in. On the contrary, the students I met told me that Harvard College looks for well-rounded students who yes, get good grades, but who also are active in both their school and community. Many of the students I met also had extracurricular interests such as sports (I met a few wrestlers, go figure!), fashion and philanthropic causes. Don’t get me wrong, all of the students I met were focused, organized and prepared for the challenge of Harvard! The campus was beautiful and the professors I met were caring, witty and brilliant. I was inspired just listening to the students’ discussions! They asked me so much about myself, too! Harvard, no longer seems scary to me, and I am excited to apply in 3 years! My whole experience was surreal. At the end of the day, I had the honor of attending a small dinner, where I sat next to the acclaimed author, Ms. Jamaica Kincaid , whose writings I will be studying in Honors English this year! What stuck with me the most was that EVERYBODY on campus seemed to be studying what they truly LOVED; not just what the had to learn, but what they wanted to learn. What made me smile ear to ear is that two of the professors recognized me from one of my previous, BUTTER! I am already researching their summer program for high schoolers!
Speak Your Mind