In this reflection, Sarah Tran shares her journey from educator burnout and uncertainty to rediscovering purpose and alignment through her time at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Drawing on experiences teaching abroad in Korea and Vietnam, she reflects on how community, creativity, and meaningful relationships at HGSE helped her reconnect with her vision for human-centered education. Through coursework, informal conversations, and projects like Maeul and Sacred Return, Sarah explores the importance of listening to one’s inner compass rather than chasing external definitions of success. Sarah describes HGSE as a transformative space that gave her the confidence, voice, and community to pursue education rooted in connection, storytelling, and collective care.
Sarah Tran (she/her)
I must admit, in my entire time at HGSE, this piece has been the most procrastinated and the most dreaded. Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic to share all of my favorite courses, professors, and moments that I have had the privilege to experience, but writing about my journey to and from HGSE means that I have to now accept the inevitable – that it has come to a close…and the uncertainty that comes with not knowing where I am going from here.
Around this time last year, I was volunteering with New Dream of Cambodian Children Organization in Siem Reap, sitting on my hostel bed, opening my laptop to a pop of Harvard’s congratulatory confetti–wondering, do I still have something to offer in education? After six years of teaching abroad in Korea and Vietnam, immersing myself in my parents’ home countries and cultures, I had ended up burnt out and directionless. Although I thought I had finally made it to my “dream school,” I somehow came to believe I was failing as a teacher. I was falling behind in life, both professionally and personally, and like 50% of educators within 5 years of teaching, I wanted to quit.
So how did I end up here at HGSE? Well, sitting at my school’s neighborhood park in Seoul, South Korea, amongst my students running around, I recall feeling the pure joy in all of my students’ laughs–their reassuring smiles. A grandiose willow tree swaying by the riverbank simultaneously gave me an AHA moment as I sketched it in the middle of a page under the words “community”. I sat and imagined what it would be like to have my own school, just like Kim, the Cambodian tuk-tuk driver with big dreams, when he told the tourist in his back seat of his goal of opening an English school for the neighborhood. I imagined what a community space would look and feel like if the four pillars surrounding it involved learning in “art-movement-voice-nature,” and, with the help of my students, we colored these words into my journal. At this moment, I allowed myself not only to dream but to build up the courage and chase after the opportunity that would help me make it happen.
Two weeks ago, Dr. Linda Nathan’s Design a Democratic School cohort of 22 students presented exhibits around the world, including one by me, Maeul, meaning ‘village’ in Korean, an after-school model for intergenerational learning in the creative arts.
But you might be wondering, what about everything in between?
It’s true what they tell you at the beginning of the year, after the “Congratulations!”, then the additional, “It goes by fast!” For newly admitted students, I think what HGSE Alumni mean when they tell you this is that it can be easy to measure your success based on how many credits you can balance amongst the various pitch competitions, student-organization events, and more.
However, now looking back at the blur…it truly does go by fast—and what do I remember? I remember:
● The 1:1 Coffee Chats
Sitting in the Gutman cafe or library across from peers and professors, we exchanged personal stories of how we both got here, our dreams, hurts, families, and hopes for education.
● From Cries to Good Bites
Post 7 PM class group dinners with your classmates after seeing each other cry in despair over the current state of the world, and pick each other up with laughs and pizza
● Exposure Therapy
Standing in front of 50 MIT finance and tech bros with my NGO partner, Traci Cheatham, where we asked everyone to close their eyes and take 3 collective breaths, as we pitched Sacred Return: wellness workshops for educators
● Informal Learning
Leadership and 3D dinners with my advisor, Uche, and other students, enjoying conversation over various topics such as defining ‘art’, singing karaoke, and once again–sharing life stories
● Boston Insights
Field trips with my Global Education cohort and listening to Professor Reimer’s personal insights on Boston’s history from Skyview, or strolling the Arboretum on a fall day
I could go on and on about what I have personally found most valuable during my time at HGSE, but what best sums up my experience is a piece written at 2 AM in the drafts section of my Notes app…
I have found that whenever I stray from alignment
I always find my way back, often forced to accept what isn’t mine
and wasn’t mine to begin with
The various arrays of opportunities and courses may look tempting
You may even take a bite or even the full course, thinking that is what you want
But a few times, I strayed from my usual diet
and ended up feeling the tension in my body —
hesitancy, impassioned, dreading the meetings or deadlines
But when I’m aligned with what I consume, I race to read
The words of the professor I love
and stay in on the weekends to take in articles
more fulfilling than the outside world
My biggest takeaway and advice would be:
As loud as the noise is, as much as the popular
or must-take must-be must-consume product seems to be,
Nothing matters more than the alignment of your own heart.
When you find this balance, which I didn’t get right
until the very end of my year here,
You will find that it looks the most similar to who you were
and why you came in the first place.
The only difference?
Harvard gave me the voice and wisdom to differentiate—to recognize my misalignment and to take action, speak up, and pivot when needed.
Do not make the same mistake in your next venture,
Your next step in your career—do not mistake
the fancy title or the stable role for alignment,
Rather, ask yourself: what is in my logic
That also makes me feel in my heart.
If you are still reading…I will conclude with the fact that coming to HGSE was the best investment I could have ever given myself–it was transformative in more ways than I could have ever imagined when I first found myself on Appian Way. I may not know exactly where I am headed after this, but I do know that I have found the most supportive community and a network of inspiring leaders and voices in education.
With that, I leave you with a photo of my parents walking the stage back in their day, in honor of the support that I have received. Thank you to every person or interaction who has helped to shape my year into what it has become, and thank you for reading.
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