Honoring the Class of 2021

Once he graduates from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s endodontics program this month, William “Brennan” Arden will return to military service.

The COVID pandemic and anti-racism protests in 2020 gave Brett Dennis-Duke’s ongoing thesis work both urgency and perspective.

Class of 2021 graduate Christopher Altizer believes in the importance of a support network.

Austin Martin created Rhymes with Reason, a gamified learning experience that teaches students vocabulary and other ELA skills through hip-hop.

Harvard will kick off this year’s graduation ceremonies on May 23 with a range of virtual events to honor and recognize the Class of 2021.

With her new degree, Carmen Beals, A.L.M. ’21, is making a shift in her career as she works to diversify museums.

For Graduate School of Design student Ayaka Yamashita, studying design was a way to understand human difference through various perspectives and mediums.

More than 5,300 people (and counting) follow Samyra Miller ’21 on Instagram, where she dispenses information and opinions on everything from how to choose a good Gen Ed course and strategies for navigating campus social scenes to where to get good coffee and her shopping hauls.

Wrestling provided life lessons for senior Cliff Wang, even when the sport was taken from him.

Kelly Brignac grew up in New Orleans, immersed in customs that had deep roots in French culture. Now she is graduating with a Ph.D. that explores the exportation of French culture, and its roots in the slave trade.

Inspired by a first-year human rights seminar, Francesco Rolando wants to help remove barriers to health care, especially for marginalized populations.

Monica Pesswani, M.C./M.P.A. ’21, came to Harvard seeking a global perspective as she worked to create educational equality in India.

It was her interest in research that brought Zahra Aldawood, D.M.Sc. ’18, M.M.Sc. ’21, to Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Rawan Alhawamdeh has a vision for improving the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and giftedness.

Graduate Rajna Swaminathan has spent the better part of her life exploring, improvising, and bringing together different worlds — in music and in life.

Steven A. Chambers, Ed.L.D. ’21, likes a challenge, even if it is figuring out how to educate children when indoor classrooms aren’t an option.

This self-described “germophobe” shifts from medicine to key research investigating obesity, inflammation, and metabolic diseases.

For Kobie Gordon, M.M.Sc. ’21, the ability of dentists to transform lives by fixing smiles was a superpower he wanted to possess.

Whether building an aircraft or learning to break dance, Harvard College student Robert Malate chose his own path.

When she came to Harvard as a first-year, Danielle Davis ’21 thought music was her focus … until engineering piqued her interest.

Athlete, philanthropist, and the star behind “Linsanity,” Jeremy Lin ’10 has been named Class Day speaker by the Harvard College Class of 2021.

Samantha Fletcher, Ed.M.’21, figured out a way to combine her passions for equity, education, and media when she started Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Technology, Innovation, and Education Program this past fall. Now she’s ready to change the world.

Growing up in central Indiana, Gayatri Balasubramanian focused on academics and music, but when she came to Harvard she wanted to take on new challenges — and she did.

Yoseph Boku’s drive to make a difference started his first year at Harvard, when he realized he could help local disadvantaged teenagers and young adults.

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) announced that Walter K. Clair ’77, M.D. ’81, M.P.H. ’85, Nancy-Beth Gordon Sheerr ’71, and Preston N. Williams, Ph.D. ’67, will receive the 2021 Harvard Medal. The awards will be presented virtually to the 2021 and 2020 recipients at the association’s annual meeting on June 4.

Anurima Bhargava ’96, director and president of Anthem of Us, will serve as chief marshal as Harvard honors the Class of 2021.

Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.