Gabe is an Ed.M. candidate seeking a degree in Education Policy and Analysis with a concentration in Higher Education. His areas of interest are Student Access and Equitable Admissions, Multicultural Fraternity and Sorority Life, EDIB Initiatives, and Minority Student Support at Public PWIs in the Southern US. He is a proud Floridian and alum of Florida State University, where he serves as the Chapter Advisor for the Beta Theta Chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc. When he isn’t making his rounds in Gutman, you can find him traveling (probably to Florida), trying to find the best Vietnamese food in Boston, or jamming out to Megan Thee Stallion on the Orange Line of the T!
Between finishing the “How People Learn” summer course, starting August classes, and dealing with the chaos of a September 1st Boston move-in, the last thing I had on my mind was starting a job during this year-long program. What I had not anticipated was that two opportunities to work for Harvard would be transformative in my HGSE experience.
I have the privilege of serving as the First Year Social Committee (FYSC) Graduate Assistant in Harvard College’s First Year Experience Office, as well as a Community Outreach Fellow in Harvard’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Through my work in both of these roles, I have solidified my passion for working in higher education as a career.
As the FYSC Graduate Assistant, I oversee a team of 13 first-year students that assist me in programming events for all first-year students at Harvard College. Mentorship was a key part of my undergraduate experience at Florida State University, and I wanted to continue guiding students here at HGSE. I continue this work through weekly team meetings, large-scale events like the First Year Formal, and informal/regular programming like Enhanced Brain Breaks. I have watched these students grow into their roles as leaders on campus while growing into my role as a new Student Affairs professional. I have met with individuals across Harvard College’s residential life staff, gotten firsthand experience overseeing a large budget, interviewed candidates for roles at the College, and have learned some of the intricacies of one of the most unique collegiate residential experiences in the world (this is something I am still trying to completely grasp).
As a Community Outreach Fellow in Harvard’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, I am able to leverage my experiences working on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives in the Deep South to ensure that Harvard’s efforts are widespread, intentional, and impactful. Attending a large private liberal arts institution, I would have thought Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives would be built in and receive little to no scrutiny – and I would have been wrong. In my role, I have learned how much work this office puts in to ensure that Harvard University is an institution that serves students, staff, and faculty from any background and culture. One of the first opportunities I had in this role is an experience I will never forget – working at Harvard’s annual MLK Lecture delivered by Sherrilyn Ifill. Her work with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund was something I had admired, and her continued advocacy for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives inspires me to continue working in this field.
Another memorable experience in this role has been working on Harvard’s annual Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum themed “The Power of Community: Cultivating Bonds & Building Bridges.” After working with an organization at Florida State University called The Power of WE, I was no stranger to addressing political polarization and breaking down echo chambers. This experience let me combine my passion for doing that with advocating for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives, and I was lucky enough to plan a student panel with Harvard’s Inclusion and Belonging Student Leadership Council (which I help oversee in my role). With this, I brought together students from seven different schools to talk about the state and importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on college campuses. This was especially meaningful to me, as I was able to work with two fellow Presidential Scholar alumni from Florida State University.
One of the best parts of working in these roles is that I can apply lessons learned from my classes that I take as someone in the Higher Education concentration at HGSE. Whether it is application of the theories I learned in my “Equitable Practices in Higher Education” and “Creating the Future of American Postsecondary Education” classes, or discussions surrounding current events that I took from my “Higher Education and the Law” and “Strategic Enrollment Management” classes, clocking in for one of my shifts feels like a continuation of the class meeting I might have just left. This underscores how applicable and truly useful the courses offered at HGSE are, especially for those of us who might be starting our careers in education. We can sit in Gutman all day hearing about student development theories, but when these lectures match the work we do outside of the classroom is where I find I best enhance my understanding of my course lessons. I also want to highlight the flexibility of our class schedules, as I am able to very easily balance classes with my jobs to the point where I do not feel I am being overworked or burning out.
Now I find myself in the hecticness of the full-time job hunt. I might not know where I will end up next, but I have every confidence that I am more prepared because of my two positions here at Harvard. None of this would be possible without that August internship fair hosted by HGSE!
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