By Charity Metcalf, JSI@HKS 2025 Summer Scholar
Fifteen undergraduates from across the United States spent their summer on the Harvard Kennedy School campus for the second annual Junior Summer Institute (JSI@HKS) as JSI Summer Scholars.
The fully funded, seven-week program prepares rising seniors for graduate studies and careers in public service. JSI is the signature summer offering of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program, which partners with public policy schools across the country to develop the next generation of public leaders. JSI Summer Scholars have gone on to receive merit-based scholarships to top public policy graduate schools.
Charity Metcalf, a business management student at Xavier University of Louisiana, experienced JSI@HKS as something more than an academic challenge—it was a reminder that true leadership begins with clear values and grows through authentic connection.
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If I could share two important lessons from my JSI@HKS experience with my community, it’s that leadership rooted in unwavering values and strengthened by community is transformative. At JSI, I learned that clarity of purpose must guide action—but just as vital is the support found in authentic connection.
During a lunch hosted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy Stephen Richer shared insights on public service, leadership, and personal integrity that resonated deeply. In a room of future policymakers and advocates, he posed a powerful question: “If your values, goals, and ambitions are written in the sand, how could you ever know when you’ve wandered from them?” His question stayed with me—it was a reminder that leadership can easily drift without a clear moral compass, especially under pressure, in conflict, or in pursuit of success.
Too often in public service, people adapt to systems or environments that, over time, erode their initial purpose. Richer emphasized the best leaders don’t chase opportunities; they anchor themselves in principles that do not shift with the tides. I want to carry this message back to my own community. In spaces where young people are navigating questions of identity, justice, and belonging, it’s easy to feel like we have to constantly adjust to fit into institutions that weren’t designed for us. But true leadership means defining your values early and returning to them often. Whether you’re advocating for equitable education, fighting housing insecurity, or working within a system you hope to change, you must know what you stand for and why you’re in the work.
“True leadership means defining your values early and returning to them often. Whether you’re advocating for equitable education, fighting housing insecurity, or working within a system you hope to change, you must know what you stand for and why ...”
Sharing this lesson with my community means encouraging others to write their values in something sturdier than sand: commit them to memory, to paper, to conversation, to action. It’s a call to stay rooted even when the path gets blurred. Because when we know what guides us, we can lead with purpose, clarity, and courage. JSI@HKS offered countless policy tools and academic insights, but this lesson in values-based leadership is the one I’ll carry for life and hope to pass on.
Another important takeaway from my experience this summer is the value of community.
My JSI@HKS cohort became a family rooted in love, laughter, vulnerability, and shared purpose. Each person brought a unique story, distinct voice, and clear commitment to justice and equity. And while we came from different backgrounds and corners of the country, we were united by a shared desire to make systems better and more just for the people we care about. I’m walking away from this experience not only with sharpened skills and knowledge, but with lifelong friends who’ve become family.
There’s something powerful about being in a space where every person is not only brilliant but deeply committed to making the world better. That shared mission became our bond. We didn’t just support each other’s goals; we celebrated them. We challenged one another to think harder, dig deeper, and never shrink ourselves. We built real trust, the kind that lasts beyond the classroom.
Photos by Bethany Versoy and courtesy of Charity Metcalf.
The fully funded, seven-week Junior Summer Institute at Harvard Kennedy School prepares undergraduate students who are rising seniors for graduate studies and careers in public service. Learn more about the program and upcoming application and admission dates.
