Our students come from across continents and sectors with different perspectives and life experiences. As alumni, they carry the Harvard Kennedy School mission around the globe.

Here are some of their stories during their time at HKS.

Explore all our student stories by degree program

Hassaan Ebrahim MPP 2021standing outside with his brother, Senan.

Brothers create screening tool for refugee populations

Hassaan Ebrahim MPP 2021

Students standing with the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama.

Experiential learning from the inside out

Simon Borumand MPP 2021, Andrew Bentley MC/MPA 2020 and Katie Shultz MPA/MBA (Tuck) 2022

Georges Clement MPP 2020 standing outside

#CancelRent One Letter at a Time

Georges Clement MPP 2020

Pickering Fellow and Tufts student Nicole Bermudez, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Sibrian after an American Secretaries of State event.

Upholding the scaffolding of liberal democracy

Hainer Sibrian MPP 2020

Ankur Dhanuka sitting on HKS sign outside of campus.

Experimenting to combat climate change

Ankur Dhanuka MPP 2020

Tom McLaughlin standing in front of HKS courtyard in the summer.

A pediatrician charts medical issues back to their upstream sources

Tom McLaughlin MPP 2019

Vidya Neelakantan MPP 2019 looking out window.

Recommitting to public service

Vidya Neelakantan MPP 2019

Amanda R. Matos laughing while looking off camera in HKS courtyard.

A proud Bronx native fighting for progressive change

Amanda R. Matos MPP 2019

Kyle Ofori standing in HKS courtyard.

Reviving America's cities

Kyle Ofori MPP 2019

Howard Cohen MPP 2018 holds out microphone.

Helping democracy go viral

Howard Cohen MPP 2018

Alex Olsen MPP 2018 sitting as people walk in front of him.

Rethinking mental health for veterans

Alex Olsen MPP 2018

Hands join in solidarity.

A case study in bipartisanship

Jake Viola MPP 2018

Shauna Theel & Andreas Westgaard standing in front of poster board.

Moving toward energy efficiency

Shauna Theel & Andreas Westgaard MPP 2017

Sophia Sadinsky MPP 2017 on laptop speaking with someone.

Achieving a durable peace

Sophia Sadinsky MPP 2017

Student holding The HKS Citizen newspaper.

Embracing the gift of citizenship

Wei Luo MPP 2017

A desk with an apple on it in front of black backdrop.

When schools can’t do it all

Molly Osborne MPP 2017

Micaela Connery MPP 2016 headshot.

When housing becomes a community

Micaela Connery MPP 2016

Giffin Daughtridge MPP 2017 standing in lab.

Improving adherence to HIV drug using noninvasive new test

Giffin Daughtridge MPP 2017

Harvard Kennedy School brick sign on campus.

Connecting law and policy

Orga Cadet MPP 2016

Harvard Kennedy School brick sign on campus.

An account of a National Public Radio internship

Lauren Leatherby MPP 2016

Joanna Penn MPP 2015 laughing.

In a stack of boxes, a world of ideas

Allister Chang MPP 2015

Allister Chang stands in front of the Ideas Box.

Revisiting Sierra Leone

Joanna Penn MPP 2015

Michelle Fakler MPA/ID 2020 sitting on bench in medical gear.

A need to do and a need to serve

Michelle Fakler MPA/ID 2020

Aalok Pandey sitting in HKS indoor courtyard.

Building a nation through infrastructure

Aalok Pandey MPA/ID 2019

Daniel Barjum MPA/ID 2019 in front of plants on HKS campus.

Using data for discovery

Daniel Barjum MPA/ID 2019

Isidro Guardarucci MPA/ID 2018 sitting with HKS campus in background.

A softer approach to economics

Isidro Guardarucci MPA/ID 2018

Lant Pritchett and Christy Lazicky pose while holding a frame certificate.

How to use machine learning for peacekeeping

Christy Lazicky MPA/ID 2017

Borja Santos holds globe.

Prepared to contribute

Borja Santos MPA/ID 2017

Ivana Rachmawati MPA/ID 2018 standing along the Charles River.

Transforming microfinance in Indonesia

Ivana Rachmawati MPA/ID 2018

People sitting together on the floor in a room with green painted walls.

Learning to keep an open mind

Sofia Hurtado Epstein MPA/ID 2015

Ingrid Olea MPA 2020 standing in front of scenic overlook.

From Santiago to Cambridge to Paris

Ingrid Olea MPA 2020

Eva-Maria Olbers MPA 2019 holding award with Harvard President Drew Faust.

The winning strategy of empowering others

Meghan McCormick MPA 2019, Eva-Maria Olbers MPA 2019, and Cara Myers MPA/ID 2018

Students walking in front of the Capitol Building.

Keeping the connection strong

Averil Spencer holding photo in front of lockers.

Helping to empower women in India

Averil Spencer MPA 2017

Harvard Kennedy School brick sign on campus.

Tales of a lifelong learner and traveler

Priscilla Lee MPA 2016

Baheira Khusheim MC/MPA 2020 standing on steps on HKS building.

Returning home, changing the narrative

Baheirah Khusheim MC/MPA 2020

Ariella Barker in front of flowers.

Always an advocate

Ariella Barker MC/MPA 2020

Ben Leuthold MC/MPA 2020 in front of white wall.

Learning how to think about the big questions

Ben Leuthold MC/MPA 2020

Lucila Takjerad MC/MPA 2019 on laptop in hallway.

Overcoming hardship to find her voice as a public leader

Lucila Takjerad MC/MPA 2019

Karen Mosoti MC/MPA 2019 sitting on chair in HKS campus.

A lawyer learns to navigate the politics of human rights and international justice

Karen Mosoti MC/MPA 2019

Mohammed Abu Asaker MC/MPA Mason 2019 sitting on chair in HKS campus.

Working toward a day when there are fewer refugee stories to tell

Mohammed Abu Asaker MC/MPA Mason 2019

Jake Moore stands in uniform on a dock by the ocean.

Adjusting the flight plan

Jake Moore MC/MPA 2019

Claudia Nastase looking through glass door on HKS campus.

Finding refuge in the unexpected

Claudia Nastase MC/MPA 2019

Bryan Swann sitting on bench outside HKS campus.

Rebooting government for the digital age

Bryan Swann MC/MPA 2019

Sole Rueda sitting inside an HKS classroom.

Following a global path of humanitarian service

Sole Rueda MC/MPA 2019

Mid-Career student Kesha Ram holds The Buck Stops Here sign on the HKS social stairs.

Empowering through politics

Kesha Ram MC/MPA 2018

Hodan Osman on ramp.

Lattes and sidewalks, and a guide to nation-building

Hodan Osman MC/MPA 2018

Jay Finch on HKS campus.

A ‘platform-agnostic public servant’

Jay Finch MC/MPA 2018

P Vaidyanathan Iyer MC/MPA 2018 in front of windows overlooking HKS courtyard.

Seeing the trees and the forest

P Vaidyanathan Iyer MC/MPA 2018

Women in the trenches panel speaking in classroom.

Overcoming barriers for women in public service

Gessika Innocent, Mariana Matranga, Hodan Osman, Kesha Ram, and Tirza Reinata MC/MPA 2018, and Rebecca Mears MPP 2019

Image of data line graph on computer screen.

Using technology to inform public sector funding

Priya Singh MC/MPA 2018

Margareta Matache speaking at podium.

A voice for social justice

Margareta Matache MC/MPA 2019

Halla Hrund Logadottir MC/MPA 2017 standing in front of glass doors on HKS campus.

The Arctic innovator

Halla Hrund Logadóttir MC/MPA 2017

Piyush Tewari standing on a busy street corner.

Building a safer road

Piyush Tewari MC/MPA 2017

Student Kim Bright sits in the HKS library.

"We can sleep in June"

Kim Bright MC/MPA 2017

Harvard Kennedy School brick sign on campus.

A passion for public service

Dongyoun Cho MC/MPA 2016

Harvard Kennedy School brick sign on campus.

After HKS, a return to political life in East Timor

Fidelis Leite Magalhaes MC/MPA 2016

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick MC/MPA 2015 sitting in beige chair being interviewed.

Bringing health care literacy to the street

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick MC/MPA 2015

Fadumo Dayib sitting in front of bookshelves.

Fadumo Dayib is shifting a dream into action

Fadumo Dayib MC/MPA 2015

HKS student Karen Warner standing in front of art in hallway.

Finding health care solutions across sectors

Karen Warner MPA/MBA 2018

Concurrent student Jonathan Lane poses with backpack.

Supporting cities and communities

Jonathan Lane MPA/MBA 2018

Carolyn Fallert MPA/ID / MBA 2018 posing in front of whiteboard.

Found in translation

Carolyn Fallert MPA/ID / MBA 2018

Elorm Avakame outside in medical coat.

Paying it forward

Elorm Avakame MPP/MD 2018

Jorge Silva holding newspaper sitting on chair in campus.

Designing the future of cities

Jorge Silva MPA/MUP 2018

From Harvard Square to the Oval Office group photo.

From the classroom to the state legislature

Elyse Voegeli MPP 2019 and Cici Coquillette MPP/JD 2019

Aleem Ahmed MPA 2015 with HKS campus in background.

A healthy appetite for social innovation

Aleem Ahmed MPA 2015

Tommy Tobin leaning on railing.

Channeling a passion for food into service and scholarship

Tommy Tobin MPP 2016

Amandla Ooko Ombaka speaking among colleagues at Harvard Kennedy School.

Before moving onward, looking inward

Amandla Ooko-Ombaka MPA/ID / MBA 2016

Julia Kurnik speaking with mic at Harvard Business School.

Pioneering sustainable food production in cities

Julia Kurnik MPA/MBA 2015

Aroop conducts an 'Office Hours' interview with Liz Sherwood-Randall (former Deputy Secretary of Energy under Obama and a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center).

The many passions of Aroop Mukharji PhD 2020

Aroop Mukharji PPOL PhD 2020

Brad DeWees stands in front of campus.

Learning the architecture of decision making

Brad DeWees PPOL PhD 2019

Charles Dorison sits on steps on campus.

Leading with emotion

Charles Dorison PPOL PhD 2020

Edoardo Teso PhD 2018 in front of windows on campus.

The intersection of politics and economics

Edoardo Teso PhD 2018

Cui Cui Chen writing on a whiteboard.

Uncertain with a chance of accuracy

Cuicui Chen PhD 2018

PhD candidate Todd Gerarden poses on HKS campus.

Finding firm grounding for research in environmental economics

Todd Gerarden PPOL PhD 2017

Sara Lowes holding currency at camera.

Empowering women through research

Sara Lowes PhD 2017

Harvard Kennedy School student vigil stirs reflection on hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

2019 Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellows Blog

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative sent 21 Harvard graduate students to cities in the United States, Canada, Finland, and the United Kingdom. These Summer Fellows worked for 10 weeks on issues of importance to the mayors of their cities—from blight remediation, to minority-owned businesses, to transportation, to harm reduction sites. 

The students chronicled their fellowship experiences. Here, in their own words, are some of their stories.

Community Stories

Harvard Kennedy School alumni stories reflect their dedication, passion, and talent as they use their HKS education to help make the world a better place.

Doctoral Program Admissions

Bring your ideas and research to life. Prepare for a future in academia or policymaking. Find out how to apply.