Hoping to learn more about the student organizations at Harvard Kennedy School?
With nearly 100 student organizations on campus, Harvard Kennedy School offers students many opportunities to connect with peers who share their interests and backgrounds.
Among them is the Armed Forces Committee—a student-led organization for military-affiliated students, fellows, faculty, and alumni—co-chaired by Max Molot MPP 2026. Max grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland and graduated from Princeton University in 2019. Before coming to HKS, he served as an airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army. At HKS, he focuses on defense and energy policy, and is especially interested in how trade, development, and national security policies interact in synchronous or discordant ways.
What is your role in the Armed Forces Committee (AFC)?
As co-chair of the AFC, I help set our priorities for the year, coordinate a leadership team of veterans from across degree programs, and work closely with staff and other student organizations on campus.
Our work ranges from organizing national security and public service events, to publishing a weekly situation report email with curated opportunities, to running mentorship and onboarding for incoming military students.
What role has the Armed Forces Committee played in your student experience?
The AFC has been my anchor at HKS. Even before I enrolled, AFC volunteers answered my questions about the application, funding, and what daily life here actually looks like for veterans. That early support made the decision to come to HKS feel less abstract and more like joining a real community.
Since arriving at HKS, the AFC has shaped my experience through mentorship, peer support, and programming. We host events with senior military and civilian leaders and collaborate with other student groups. Our goal is to create spaces where veterans and military-connected students can talk honestly about transition, identity, and what service looks like after uniformed life. Some of my favorite HKS memories so far have come from AFC gatherings—whether it’s a speaker event, a small-group dinner, or just a hallway conversation that continues long after class ends.
“Since arriving at HKS, the AFC has shaped my experience through mentorship, peer support, and programming. We host events with senior military and civilian leaders and collaborate with other student organizations.”
Max Molot MPP 2026
What has been your favorite part of HKS so far?
I’ve loved wandering into talks hosted by centers and programs that sit far outside my own background. I’ll show up knowing almost nothing about the topic and leave with a much deeper appreciation for the kinds of problems other students, faculty, and affiliates are tackling across the school.
Those events almost always lead to new connections and new ways of framing my own work, and they have pushed me to think more creatively about how to tackle the policy problems I’m most focused on.
What advice do you have for students applying to HKS?
Be clear about your “why.” Use your essays to explain what problem you care about, why it matters to you personally, and how HKS fits into your broader path—not just as a credential, but as a specific set of skills, networks, and experiences.
Choose recommenders who really know you. It’s more powerful when someone can speak in detail about your character, judgment under pressure, and commitment to public service than when they simply have an impressive title.
Plan your time and energy. The HKS admissions application (and any separate financial aid or fellowship applications) takes longer than you think, especially if you’re working or deployed, so give yourself space to draft, get feedback, and revise.
Reach out and ask questions. If you’re even considering HKS, connect with current students or organizations like the Armed Forces Committee to get candid perspectives on fit, funding, academics, and community. Most of us are here because others helped us through the process, and we’re eager to pay that forward.
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