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Kayla Reifel

About Kayla Reifel

The Arts Editor, Kayla Reifel '26, is from Eagle River, Alaska. She loves when people ask her where she's from almost as much as she loves the Independent. She lives in Adams, studies History & Science and English, and spends a startling amount of time at the Loeb Drama Center for someone who cannot sing or act.

Articles written by Kayla Reifel:

Meet the New IOP Executive Board

Meet the New IOP Executive Board

The Harvard Institute of Politics’ newly elected executive board reflects on their vision for the future of the organization and their commitment to maintaining the organization’s nonpartisanship.

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On Monday morning, the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP) announced its newly elected executive board. Tenzin Gund-Morrow ’26 and Summer Tan ’26 were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, and will lead the IOP through 2025, alongside Kevin Bokoum ’26, Treasurer, and Lorenzo Ruiz ’27, Communications Director. Looking ahead, Gund-Morrow and Tan are eager […]

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Half-Lit

A review of indie band Cigarettes After Sex’s X’s arena tour at TD Garden.

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Angst, ardor, and a lot of haze filled Boston’s TD Garden last Wednesday. On Sept. 4, the world tour of dream pop band Cigarettes After Sex made a stop at the iconic venue. By 8 p.m., concertgoers clad mostly in black made their way into the arena to fill the nearly 20,000-seat venue. The show […]

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“If We Succeeded”

Former HUA Co-President candidates Lucas Chu ’23-25 and Trinity Dysis ’27 discuss their motivation to run for office and the ultimate conflict that led to their ticket’s dissolution.

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“We feel that we have been slighted…We want to make sure that our message is present: that the HUA needs to be replaced.” Though Trinity Dysis ’27 is “well aware” that she is a freshman, since arriving at Harvard, Dysis has understood the problems that have faced Harvard’s student government for quite some time. “It […]

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There Are 366 Days in a Year

A partially true short story that is partially about the leap year.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, emotions, thematic revelations, etc. are products of the author’s imagination (that she will hopefully one day sell and capitalize upon). Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. (By purely we mean truly, thoroughly, nearing 100%, downright asymptotic!)  […]

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The Unknowable: A Preview of Lowell House Opera’s Upcoming Production

Benjamin T. Rossen’s original operatic ballet is a unique, stunning interplay of music and movement.

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The Unknowable: An Operatic Ballet in Two Acts, a stunning original production written by Benjamin T. Rossen ’23, presents a mesmerizing blend of emotion, music, and dance. Premiering on February 10th and 11th at Sanders Theatre, the show dazzles from start to finish. Featuring a diverse cast of performers both from within the Harvard community […]

How to Build A Minimalist Class Schedule

Shed your academic masochism. It’s self-care.

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“Harvard is hard.”  At one point or another, we’ve all come to the unfortunate realization that the phrase is actually true. But does Harvard have to be so academically rigorous? There’s no need to buy into the Harvard academic overachiever stereotype (I’m looking at you, LS50 and Math 55 first-years) when you can minimize your […]

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Different Schools, Different Languages

Despite differences in Harvard and Yale’s school colloquialisms, the differences don’t run quite as deep as one would think.

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The Harvard-Yale rivalry is entrenched in everything, not just football. Yale merch is informally forbidden on Harvard’s campus and jokes disparaging bulldogs and New Haven are abundant in Cambridge. There are significant differences between Harvard and Yale that are unrelated to football that fuel the rivalry between the schools. Harvard and Yale’s differences expand to […]

A Moving Art Gallery

A Moving Art Gallery

Harvard Ballet Company’s production On Exhibition is a blend of the visual and moving arts

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Harvard Ballet Company’s spring production On Exhibition created a moving, breathing art museum this past weekend on the Loeb mainstage. Dancers embodied works of visual art, dissolving barriers between static and mobile spheres of art.   On Exhibition opened with ‘self portrayal,’ a number choreographed by producer Amy Benedetto ’23. Dancers ran on stage holding pictures […]

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Nailing It: Is Sex a Performance?

Students face performance anxiety from the theater to the bedroom

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The Harvard student is forged under the pressure to perform. The admission process requires that students thrive off their ability to succeed—academically, socially, and athletically. Yet while students can excel in performance contexts, they might falter in more freeform environments. The act of sex falls somewhere in between premeditated performance and spontaneous expression. Amid a […]