Editor’s Note: This post introduces the HDS Admissions Staff. It has been updated for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.
Odeviz Soto, Director of Admissions
Odeviz Soto is the Director of Admissions at HDS. Odeviz is a proud graduate of both Harvard Divinity School and Harvard College, and he felt called to higher education as a form of ministry. Before starting his current role at HDS, Odeviz was the Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School and Assistant Director of Summer Planning and Funding at Harvard College. Odeviz’s favorite thing about HDS – in addition to the diverse religious and spiritual viewpoints here – is the people, including the amazing faculty, staff, and students. In his free time, Odeviz enjoys cooking and playing board games.
Margaret Okada-Scheck, Associate Director of Admissions
Margaret Okada-Scheck is the Associate Director of Admissions at HDS. Margaret has worked in graduate admissions for 13 years and has been in her current role at HDS for three years. Previously, Margaret worked in admissions at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education where she also received her master’s degree. Margaret’s favorite thing about HDS is the close-knit community where each individual’s voice can be heard and affirmed. She is also in charge of planning our annual Diversity and Explorations Program (DivEx) which she cites as a highlight of her professional life. In her free time, Margaret loves to spend time with her husband, two-year old son, and dog, Bingo.
Alessandra Luedeking, Admissions Officer
Alessandra Luedeking is the Admissions Officer at HDS. Prior to her current role, Alessandra worked as an Admissions Assistant and Officer at Harvard Law School, and she’s also spent time teaching sixth-grade social studies through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in the Bronx, NY. Alessandra is currently a master’s student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education where she is studying education leadership with the hopes of developing skills and a sense of ethical leadership needed to effect change in higher education throughout her career. In her free time, Alessandra enjoys baking, listening to film scores, and playing Rummikub with her friends and family.
John Rzasa, Staff Assistant
John Rzasa is the Staff Assistant at HDS Admissions. John has been at HDS for three years, and he worked at Harvard Law School prior to his current role. He loves the warm and welcoming community here at HDS and enjoys meeting new and admitted students in-person after getting to know them throughout the application process working at the admissions front desk. In his free time, John loves to watch bad movies (those with ratings far below ‘B’), read fiction, and play with his cat.
We hope you got to know the HDS Admissions Staff better through this post. Please be sure to email us at admissions@hds.harvard.edu with any questions you have about our degree programs, life at HDS, or the application process.
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