Winter 2018
Winter 2018
Feature Stories
As a scholar of the Roman Empire, I’m often asked what the point is in studying a long-dead society so remote from our own. This question often comes from parents whose child has expressed an interest in studying Rome, or philosophy, or some other humanities field: “What will she do with that?” they ask. I understand and appreciate their concern, but, as a humanist myself, and an advisor of several generations of humanists now in the workplace, I have abundant evidence of the importance and usefulness of study in the humanities. Not just for its own sake, but because the humanities are an incredible complement to any field.
Alumni Interviews
Give to Harvard Griffin GSAS
Why do Jonathan Bruno JD ’13, PhD ’17 and Daria Van Tyne PhD ’13 support the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)? Gratitude.
She researches antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He studies secrecy and transparency in democratic societies. If it hadn’t been for the Dudley House Chorus, the couple may never have met and married.
GSAS was also where they launched their careers. “We discovered what we were passionate about here,” says Daria, who recalls her field work on malaria parasites in Senegal. For Jonathan, it was the interactions he had with his colleagues in the government department that helped him develop as a political theorist.
Now resident tutors in Lowell House, they make a point to give annually to the Graduate School Fund. “It’s our way of showing what Harvard means to us,” says Jonathan. “We want to support it in whatever modest way we can.”
Support GSAS students with a gift to the Graduate School Fund.
“What do I remember most about GSAS? The friendships and the sheer joy of intellectual discovery.”—Jonathan Bruno JD ’13, PhD ’17
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