I will miss the daily routines with my best friends at Harvard—the lunches and dinners in Lowell’s yellow dining hall, for example—that have gotten me through the years. All the moments of triumph, discovery and failure experienced in my academics and extracurriculars would have meant nothing if I couldn’t go home to my people at the end of every day. They are the ones who make life worthwhile. At Harvard, I have found that work and success are meaningless without others to share them with, and I leave this place grateful to have been able to share and be shared in everything with true friends.
Yuning Zhang
"Success is to open your mind – be untrue to yourself and you’ll discover your passion."
David Roberts
"Sometimes you gotta believe in something bigger than yourself — at Harvard, while working with a string theorist, I discovered that, for me, that was the human technological endeavor.
No matter what I do, I will always try to be at that edge, of what’s possible."
Jared Sleisenger
"Harvard taught me that there are times to try to not be a typical Harvard student — to push back against the culture of the institution and to preserve your individuality, but also to be grateful about having access to all of the special opportunities here."
April Kim
"What I’ll miss most about Harvard is being able to walk alongside my closest friends as we navigated our way through some of the most trying, but also some of the most joyful experiences of our lives to date. From figuring out our passions, to experiencing failure, to traveling abroad together over breaks, to grieving the deaths of two dear friends, to witnessing friends getting baptized, to figuring out our first jobs together…after Harvard, there’s no doubt we’ll still share experiences like these, but we’ll likely share a lot fewer than we have over these past four years."
Dillon Cruz
"These four years were wild, in so many ways. I’ve been in this sappy mood recently—whenever I see my freshman year roommates, or think about the places I’ve gone with my friends, or the ridiculously pretentious traditions I’ve been blessed to experience. Of course, I didn’t come out of Harvard unscathed. But I do feel a lot of love for it."
Tiana Raphel
"Fave Harvard Memory: The sharing of food is often a symbol of acceptance of one another, an act of communion. I will always smile fondly when I think back on the public dining spaces where I was able to share private moments with friends, and bond with those around me. Whether lamenting over the poor food selection of the night, getting excited about chicken tender day, or ordering Kong to Currier dining hall at 3am, the conversations and growing of friendships that I have experienced in dining halls will be one of my favorite Harvard memories."
Bianca Mulaney
What is it that makes this place so special? The humans. Never again will I live a stone’s throw away from 1600+ people this collectively talented. While the fact that I have yet to meet everyone in our class — and perhaps never will meet all of my classmates — gives me a tinge of regret, I find beauty in the fact that we’ve gone through four years at the same institution having had completely different experiences, and that graduation is just the beginning — we have a lifetime ahead of us in which Harvard will bring us together in unexpected ways. I look forward to cherishing the opportunity to live with my classmates for the next few weeks and appreciating them for years to come.
Vanessa Decembre
"I am grateful for the spontaneity that has increasingly become part of my life; however, what I will miss the most are the moments of vulnerabilty between friends that I hope will become an integral part of Harvard's culture."
Sreeja Kalapurakkel
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." —Vince Lombardi
^That's the most important lesson I learned at Harvard.
Ved Topkar
"My favorite part of Harvard is that there is always someone smarter, stronger, funnier, or cooler than me. Once I got over this rather harsh realization, it became so calming. It forced me to look inwards instead of outwards for indicators of personal growth and self-worth. This is easily the best lesson Harvard has to offer."
Meghamsh Kanuparthy
"I'm glad I found a community at Harvard. I can't think of any place that I've felt more at home or felt like I belong more that here. And for that I'm glad."
Anupa Murali
"While it’s impossible for me to choose just one favorite memory out of the many wonderful ones I’ve had at Harvard, I can certainly say that they all involve my closest friends. In particular, some of my favorite memories are the ones where I became close friends with some amazing people all because I decided to stay with them long after dinner was over since we were so lost in conversation, randomly decided to go sledding with them since there was a snowstorm and our parents weren’t around to tell us to stay inside instead, take a walk along the river with them, etc. These little moments which lead to lasting friendships have been central to my experience at Harvard and have made me grow into who I am today."
Eli Kresta
"My favorite memories of from Harvard include studying all day and night with friends who would shout "DANCE BREAK," and we would jump up and have a five minute dance party before going back to work. It reminded me to stop taking things so seriously and let a little fun and adventure into every day."
Vegas Longlois
"One uniquely Harvard memory is staying up until three in the morning with my boyfriend talking about my sophomore tutorial paper. I was writing an ethnography (a firsthand account of a culture) about bingo in the Southie neighborhood of Boston and I was having a very difficult time piecing my thoughts together. I had been working on the paper for weeks. We just talked for hours until I understood how the history of gentrification and history of segregation in Southie impacted the player's interactions in the bingo hall. It was exhilarating to produce independent academic research and have a peer care so deeply about something I cared about."
Darwin Hsu
"I am going to miss the endless opportunities we have to meet some of the most incredible people in the world. There have been so many instances—IM sports, senior bars, spring break trips—where I’ve met and grown closer to some of my closest friends today. It’s so rare to meet people that you connect with so deeply in such a short amount of time, and I’m grateful to have had that opportunity here."
Uliana Savostenko
"I have so many favorite memories of Harvard: sitting in lectures and feeling my brains growing, walking through Annenberg in search of friends, flying to the Bahamas with a class, going for a walk during hurricane Sandy... In retrospect, my most favorite one happened when I just arrived on campus. It was midnight, and I saw nothing. However, the night was full of the smells of freshly cut grass, and sprinklers whispered promises. Those promises came true: now there are too many memories to choose from."
Michelle Shao
"I will always be grateful for the professors whose insights changed the way I interact with the world, for my friends who inspired and awed me with their talents, passions, and kindness, and for this university that challenged and pushed me with continuous encouragement. Four years at Harvard have been transformational far beyond what I could have imagined when I first walked through its gates. As I leave this spring, I carry with me cherished memories and a piece of what makes this place so special: the constant desire to learn, explore, understand, and engage."
Shori Hijikata
"For the past four years, Harvard hasn't just been a school for me - it's been a home. I don't know when else in my life I'll encounter the same sense of camaraderie and support that I find amongst the people here, from my friends and classmates, to the chefs in the Eliot kitchen. But luckily, this isn't the end - they say that Harvard isn't for four years but for life, and I certainly hope to see that through and stay connected to the Harvard community."
Tiffany Minors
"Harvard Undergrad is an incredible place, and what it really all comes down to is the community. I have met leaders (future astronauts, actors, doctors, presidents, just to name a few), but what is most impressive about them is their drive to serve the greater Boston community and give back. I will miss having such a diverse group of people to support me and to work alongside of, and can only pray that I will find that outside of college. Quick shoutout to Harvard College Faith and Action, Under Construction, and Quincy House, a few of the communities I have been blessed to be a part of!"