I began my first year at Harvard in peak physical condition: a bruised hip, aching legs, ten wasp stings, and—possibly—an incubating giardia infection (but thankfully not). I had just survived my first wilderness backpacking trip. I attended Harvard’s First-Year Outdoor Program the week before setting foot in any college classroom. FOP is one of Harvard’s […]
Have you ever noticed the bronze plaques or informational signposts as you pass through the Yard on the way to your 9 a.m. class? Have you ever thought about all the people who have existed in these spaces? When we, as members of the Harvard community, reminisce about its long history, I do not think […]
I previously published an article in the “Harvard Independent” on the subject of faith and our need for it, of any kind, in these trying times we live in. However, I neglected to say fully that faith is not enough. It is my firm belief that as much as one believes, not only when it […]
In 1989, the year my sister was born, my dad bought our family home in rural Appalachia in upstate New York, where he now lives. Standing in an overgrown forest, the 200-year-old house is an artifact in itself, largely untouched by modern renovation. The whole village mirrors this timelessness—my dad’s favorite example is Baird’s Tavern, […]
We Belong to No One but Ourselves Dear Readers, Whether this is your first or fiftieth read, we’re so glad you have decided to join us. To our newcomers: welcome. If you are curious, let us satiate you. The Indy’s story begins much earlier than our first issue. The first newspapers emerged in 1605, over […]
After tackling the many suitcases and giant pink plastic bags filled to the brim with things I do not even remember packing, move-in is finally done. Everything feels completely different—in part because yes, the start of every school year brings its own novelty. But this year, the transition from first-year dormitories to the highly regarded […]
I often think about last words and what I would say when my time comes. Would mine be poignant, like William James’s: “These, then, are my last words to you. Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact”—or ironic, like John Adams’s in 1826: […]
Last semester, I authored an opinion editorial titled “A Commentary on Conservatism,” in which I, borrowing the words of Sir Roger Scruton, described the ideology as a “philosophy of love.” This is a sentiment I still hold to be true. The title of a “philosophy of love” doesn’t solely belong to conservatism but is […]
On my usual afternoon Metro ride home, I settle in with a book, headphones on, and my bag beside me. On this particularly hot June day, an older white woman pauses beside my seat and asks if she can sit down. I move my bag without looking up, Malcolm Todd’s newest album filling my ears […]
After heaving my 50 lb suitcase onto a giant red coach, wrestling it down a cobblestone alley, and hauling it up five narrow, winding flights of stairs, I finally arrived at Exeter College, Oxford, where I would spend the next six weeks. The first thing I noticed was my view: a charming little window overlooking […]