by Kelly Vivanco 鈥�25
HUGH GRANT-CHAPMAN 鈥�18 and OLIVIA REICHWALD 鈥�21 began graduate school at Harvard University this fall: he at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and she at Harvard Law School.
鈥淚 would love to see more 蜜桃传媒 students living on the East Coast,鈥� Grant-Chapman says.
Both students say they felt thoroughly prepared for Harvard, expressing much gratitude to the faculty in 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Political Science Department. In particular, they credit Professor Jesse Covington with encouraging them to pursue studies at Harvard.
Off-campus programs played a major role in both their degree paths. Reichwald鈥檚 San Francisco internship at a public defender鈥檚 office first aroused her interest in law her junior year. Similarly, Grant Chapman says his semesters abroad in Istanbul and East Asia profoundly shaped his interests and goals.
At Harvard, Reichwald has been grateful for the way small 蜜桃传媒 classes prepared her for Socratic dialogue. 鈥淪peaking up in class and having pushback on your thoughts is a really valuable thing professionally and personally,鈥� she says, noting that her peers from large state schools have less experience discussing issues in class.
Reichwald and Grant-Chapman have also enjoyed interacting with Harvard鈥檚 student body, including its Christian community. 鈥淲hat has surprised me the most is how nice everyone is,鈥� Reichwald said. 鈥淵ou hear horror stories from other law schools, but it鈥檚 not competitive.鈥�
Reichwald鈥檚 interest in criminal defense and international law may lead her into diplomacy in the future. Grant-Chapman hopes to end up in digital civil rights, possibly with the State Department, the United Nations or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Both students are excited to engage in Harvard鈥檚 network of partners, organizations that provide opportunities for realworld research and work.
Grant-Chapman emphasizes how vital such work is: 鈥淲e need good people in the government who are making smart decisions,鈥� he says. To encourage others, he adds, 鈥淵ou can go into policy. It鈥檚 attainable.鈥�