Category Archives: Student Life

J-Term Course: Comparative Monasticisms

01 Thursday Apr 2021

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Editor’s Note: HDS students have the option to take J-term courses, which are usually 2-credit courses held over winter break. In this post, MDiv student, Jessica Young Chang, shares her experience taking Kerry Maloney’s Comparative Monasticisms J-term course virtually this past January.  

Post by Jessica Young Chang MDiv’22 

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Young Chang

Candlelight is flickering against the unadorned white walls. The echo of monks chanting in Latin invites a reverent silence into the room. The table is set with a humble bowl of lentils, rice, roasted squash, bread, and a mug of tea. My notebook is poised nearby in case the abbess reads or utters a morsel of wisdom I want to remember. 

And in the other room, I can hear my husband laughing at whatever he’s watching on Netflix.  

The retreat week for this year’s Comparative Monasticisms class looked a bit different. A J-term class offered by HDS Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Kerry Maloney, this class provides students with a background of the contemplative life as defined and practiced in the Christian and Buddhist traditions. Typically, students convene with Kerry and co-teacher David Woessner for a week and retreat at centers in the Massachusetts area. Alas, the pandemic made it impossible for us to gather and travel safely, so we retreated in our homes, are less the band of wandering mendicants and more the community of desert siblings in our individual cells.  

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Harvard Wide Opportunities

18 Thursday Feb 2021

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Editor’s Note: At Harvard Divinity School, our students can utilize resources across Harvard University. In this post, we’ll highlight some of the facilities, opportunities, and experiences that our students can access beyond HDS.  

Photo Courtesy of Kristie Welsh

Libraries 
As a Harvard student you have access to Harvard’s impressive and one of kind library system which includes over 73 libraries and over 20 million volumes. You will also have access to Harvard’s incredible archives, including collections on women’s history at the Schlesinger Library and the collection of rare books and manuscripts in the Houghton Library. Whether you study religion at the intersection of law, politics, education, medicine, or more, Harvard probably has a library with books tailored to your area of study.  

Take Courses Across the University 
At HDS you’ll find that our students, even students in the same program, have very different class schedules because of the vast course options available. As an HDS student you can take classes at other Harvard graduate schools as well as at schools who are part of the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium which includes 8 other schools.  It’s so easy to cross-register in courses at other Harvard schools that you don’t even need special approval from your advisor—you just simply enroll! You can check out some of the course offerings here.  

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Celebrating the HDS Community!

26 Tuesday Jan 2021

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Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic, HDS made the difficult decision of continuing remote learning for fall and spring semester this year. In this post, HDS student, Malini Srikrishna, highlights the resilience and strength of the HDS community despite the challenge of distance.  

Post by Malini Srikrishna MTS’21 

Photo Courtesy of Malini Srikrishna

We finally made it! I want to affirm and explore the confusion all current HDS students felt last semester because we were forced to be together and experience love in ways that were unfamiliar. I write this to record the monumental ability that has been displayed so all those who come after us can read this and enter with the hope of unrestricted possibilities. During the past year of being students and teachers during a global pandemic, our community displayed a remarkable commitment to being open to new experiences that have only become better over awkwardness, laughter and time. As has often been advised for endeavors such as this — it has been a time to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. 

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Q & A with Malini Srikrishna, President of the HDS Student Association (HDSSA)

27 Monday Jul 2020

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Post by: Malini Srikrishna, MTS ‘21 and President of HDSSA (2020-2021) 

Malini (MTS ‘21) is a licensed social worker, entrepreneur and minister of love. Her area of focus is Liberation Theology, Business Ethics and Spiritual Care (an area of focus which Malini created herself). The HDS Student Association provides students a voice in the administrative and policymaking procedures of the School and facilitates discussion among students, staff, and faculty. The elected student officers meet monthly with the Dean to discuss student concerns and issues that affect the entire community and provide opportunities for conversation among students, faculty, and staff through roundtable discussions and Town Hall meetings.  

Malini (MTS ‘21) 
President of HDSSA 
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Reflections on Activism, Organizing, and Angela Davis

13 Monday Jul 2020

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Post by Eboni Nash, MTS ‘21  

Eboni Nash is a second year MTS student, who recently interviewed professor and activist Angela Davis. In addition to her academic pursuits at HDS, she serves as Social Justice Chair for the HDS Student Association (HDSSA), the Office of Student Life Ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion, an Organizer for the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign, and Vice President of Events/Organizing for Harambee, the HDS student organization for students of African descent. 

Where were you when it happened? I imagine this question, much like 9/11, will be asked of us by the younger generation. Where were you when the COVID-19 pandemic struck? For me, I was on a plane heading back to my mother’s house for spring break. I decided to go early to be able to celebrate my niece’s birthday, when I received the email notifying me not to come back to campus.  

Just like that, 2020 took another unexpected turn that forced us to adjust quickly. During our stay-at-home orders, I found myself wondering what I could do and how I could still be useful so far from my networks. After weeks of contemplating and eating entirely too much, I realized that organizing was still very possible.  

For the past three years, I have considered myself an organizer and activist. Starting with food justice, I directed a local nonprofit in Nebraska that helped feed low income families of elementary school students over the weekend. This exposure to food-insecurity, education surrounding the poverty-line, as well as hot zones for food deserts, really took hold of my heart. I eased deeper into social justice soon after when I spent a summer interning at Sunshine Enterprises in Chicago. 

Eboni Nash (MTS ‘21) // 
photo courtesy of Eboni Nash 
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Working at the Pluralism Project

30 Monday Mar 2020

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Editor’s Note: At HDS, many students work in on-campus, part-time jobs, some of which are research positions. In this article MTS student Margaret Hamm talks about her job as a Research Associate for The Pluralism Project. 

Post by: Margaret Hamm, MTS ‘21 

Since September, I’ve worked as a student Research Associate at The Pluralism Project. For those not already familiar with its mission, The Pluralism Project is a Harvard Divinity School initiative that strives to explore the constantly changing religious landscape of the United States through educational tools and resources. As a first-year MTS student with research interests in the history of religious freedom in America and First Amendment law, I was immediately drawn to The Pluralism Project and its initiatives, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to deepen my own understanding of religious pluralism in America. 

Photo courtesy of STEPHANIE MITCHELL and the HDS Office of Communications
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Q&A with the Office of Career Services

13 Thursday Feb 2020

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Editor’s Note: One of the advantages of going to HDS is the ability to access the resources and guidance of our Office of Career Services! Please enjoy this Q&A with Laurie Sedgwick, Coordinator at the Office of Career Services. 

Post by: Laurie Sedgwick, MDiv ‘22 and Coordinator at the Office of Career Services

We are excited that you’re thinking about Harvard Divinity School! The Office of Career Services is committed to helping HDS students along their career journey. We hope this Q&A format addresses some of the questions you might have as a prospective student considering attending HDS.   

What is the value of a degree from HDS? Can you provide some examples of career paths of graduates? 

The HDS degree equips you with a range of skills beyond the academic curriculum that can benefit you for many career paths. Some of these skills include a facility with engaging in a pluralistic environment, multi-disciplinary thinking, analytical skills grounded in theory, competence in written and oral communication, and language proficiency.  

As far as career paths go, HDS graduates find meaningful work in a variety of career fields, from ministry (across religious faiths), to work in non-profit, education, law, public policy, the arts, writing careers, and many go on to pursue a PhD or other advanced degree field.   

Photo courtesy of TONY RINALDO, HDS Office of Communications 

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Introducing Our 2019-2020 Graduate Assistants

27 Friday Sep 2019

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Editor’s Note: It’s been a busy first few weeks of the term here at HDS as we lead tours around campus, pack boxes for our traveling HDS representatives, and keep track of the many classes available for prospective students to visit, but we’d like to take some time to introduce you all to the Office of Admissions’ new Graduate Assistants.

Tessa Steinert Evoy (MTS 2020)

Tessa Steinert Evoy (MTS 2020) Hello, great to digitally meet you all. My name is Tessa and I am a second year Graduate Assistant and Masters of Theological Studies candidate. I grew up in the Boston area and London, England before graduating from Boston University in 2015 with BA in History, focusing on the intersections of literary movements and contemporary American history. Before coming to HDS, I taught eighth-grade American History and ninth-grade English as well as worked in secondary school admissions. At HDS I am a second-year MTS candidate focusing on Religion, Ethics, and Politics, and more specifically the ways religion is taught in schools. Along with being a Graduate Assistant, I work as a research assistant for the Religious Literacy Project building curriculum for an upcoming documentary. When I am not in the Admissions Office or class, you can find me at Community Tea on Tuesdays or Rock Café any other time eating some of the delicious food on campus. I look forward to getting to know you all this fall!

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Transforming Andover into Swartz Hall

25 Thursday Jul 2019

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Post by: Mikaela Allen, MTS ’19, HDS Office of Admissions Graduate Assistant 

Editor’s Note: As some of you may have heard, Andover Hall, newly named Swartz Hall, is undergoing an extensive and much-needed renovation thanks in large part to a generous gift from the Swartz family and the continued dedication of HDS staff. Read on to learn more about the goals of the renovation and how it will affect the daily life of the HDS community in the interim. While most of our posts feature student voices, this post will introduce you to a few staff members on campus and what they perceive as the long-term benefits of the renovation project. For updates on the process, Ralph DeFlorio, HDS’s Director of Operations, regularly updates this blog dedicated to the progress of the renovation. Click here for an extensive interview with Ralph about the renovation project. Please note that as part of the renovation, the HDS Office of Admissions has moved to the first floor of Divinity Hall. 

  • Andover Hall as of June 2019. Students will not have access to Andover during construction. Andover Harvard Theological Library will remain open during the renovation. Photo by Mikaela Allen.
  • Braun Room, Andover Hall, 2016. Weekly Community Tea takes place here and will continue in the interim space. Photo by Evgenia Eliseeva.
  • Sperry Room, Andover Hall. After 2013 renovations. The only traditional lecture hall on HDS’s campus. Photo by Jonathan Beasley.
  • Andover Chapel. Weekly Noon Service takes place here and will continue in another space during the renovation. Photo by Evgenia Eliseeva.
  • Winter windows of Andover Hall. Photo by Kristie Welsh.
  • Andover Harvard Theological Library. Accessible during renovation. Photo by Kristie Welsh.
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HDS Housing Overview: On-Campus Housing

23 Tuesday Apr 2019

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Post by: Natalie Solis, MTS Student, HDS Office of Admissions Graduate Assistant

Mikaela here! As the editor of the HDS Admissions Blog for the past two years, it is almost time to say goodbye to all of you as my degree program draws to an end this May. Housing has a huge influence on our academic lives as students, and so I wanted to leave you with a comprehensive series on housing resources as the last blog series I will supervise before handing over my role to another capable Graduate Assistant. Our next post in the series will feature resources and strategies for finding off-campus housing, a popular choice among HDS students.

CSWR interior 2013
CSWR meditation room. Open to all HDS students from 9AM-5PM Mon-Fri during the academic year. Photo taken by Justin Knight Photography.

Hello, my name is Natalie and I am a graduate assistant at the HDS Office of Admissions. In this blog post, I will provide an overview of the on-campus housing options at Harvard. On-campus housing is very convenient for students because it is usually within walking distance to campus and includes community events. While there are no HDS specific dorms on campus, there are still many options for on-campus housing. The closest thing to an HDS specific graduate housing program is the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR), which is right across the street from Andover Hall. The CSWR is a residential community that fosters living and learning with a focus on world religions. In order to live at the CSWR for the academic year, students need to submit a short application to the CSWR by April 15th. You can find more information about the apartments at the CSWR and the application form on the CSWR website. The deadline to apply for CSWR housing has now passed for 2019, but it is important that you keep this deadline in mind if you are interested in the CSWR and would like to apply in the future.

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