Find Your Center: Helping Families to Flourish

Maya Jackson has a passion for organizing fun events for her fellow students at Harvard’s Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS)—particularly those with children and families.

“I think it’s often an overlooked population, especially now, with a lot of the changes that are going on institutionally and financially,” Jackson says. “A lot of programs and resources for students with parents have begun to disappear or be cut. It’s important because how we treat our student parents is a reflection of how we take care of our student body; it’s a reflection of our community and institution as a whole.”

Now in her third year as a fellow at the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Jackson strives to care for student parents by creating programming to which they can look forward every year. Whether participating in a crafting event, a music jam, or a photo shoot, families feel a little more welcome on campus thanks to her work.

From Research Scholar to Student Fellow

Jackson is a fourth-year student in the PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Griffin GSAS. A member of the Aguayo-Mazzucato Lab, her dissertation research examines the interaction between GLP-1 agonist medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy and cellular aging in the pancreas. “There’s still a lot that we don’t know about the way these drugs work—specifically, the long-term effects they might have on the pancreas,” she explains. “That’s what I’m looking at.”

Jackson came to Harvard through the Research Scholar Initiative, a non-degree-granting postbaccalaureate program that provides mentored research and training for individuals interested in pursuing doctoral studies, where she worked in the Broad Institute lab of Dr. Melina Claussnitzer. At that time, she also served as a social coordinator on the graduate residence hall council. When she joined BBS for her PhD, she knew she wanted to continue fostering community among graduate students, so she applied to become a Student Center Fellow, serving first as Social Fellow and then Community Engagement Fellow, her role for the past two years. Throughout her work, Jackson has focused on creating events for students with children and families.

“If we support students in a way that they’re still able to live their lives outside of lab, outside of the classroom, and hit certain life milestones and goals outside of just their research and academics, I think it tells our students that we care about them as a whole person, and that they are more than just their work, their research, their thesis,” she says. “Part of that for many people is starting a family.”

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Maya Jackson is a PhD student studying biological and biomedical sciences.

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Claudia Romano

How we treat our student parents is a reflection of how we take care of our student body.
— Maya Jackson

Making Forever Memories

The events Jackson organizes for families run the gamut from the practical to the whimsical. At the family portrait event each October, students and their loved ones can get their pictures taken by photographers from the Harvard Griffin GSAS Photo Society. In the spring, she brought local performers to campus for children’s songs and activities at the Family Music Jam. During Pride Month this past June, Jackson scheduled a drag story hour, where performers read stories to children. “We also did tie-dye rainbow bandanas and different crafts. It was just a fun and interactive day, and a really nice way to kick off summer,” Jackson shared.

Every winter, Jackson organizes a winter family craft event for Harvard Griffin GSAS student parents and the larger community, featuring ceramic ornaments from Made By Me, a local queer-owned pottery business. The kids paint the ornaments, Jackson takes them to Made By Me for firing, and the parents can pick them up when they’re done—sometimes with barely a moment to spare.

“One year, a family was excited because their baby had painted this cute ornament,” she says. “But they were leaving Cambridge for the holidays, and they wanted to be able to give their baby’s ornament to the grandparents. I met the mom at Lehman Hall on Sunday morning before her flight so that I could give it to her. It was touching to talk to her and see her gratitude. She cared so much about the outcome of the craft and the event. It was going to be a memory they’d keep with them forever.”

All Are Welcome

Jackson is quick to point out that family events are not limited to student parents. “Students are welcome to bring any children in their life—whether it’s a younger sibling, a family friend, niece, nephew, or mentee,” she says. “Even if they don’t have a child with them, these events are open to all students, and we also help connect families with others on campus outside of Harvard Griffin GSAS.”

One of Jackson’s favorite parts of her role is watching students build connections across the Harvard community. “Being able to see the impact of my work in fostering a community for other students is really rewarding,” she says. “The fellows program is responsible for a lot of the programming, events, and resources for Harvard Griffin GSAS students on campus, though participants may not be aware of it. I feel like the friendships that I’ve made with other graduate students will be lasting connections, and a lot of those wouldn’t have been possible without my participation in the program.”

Being able to see the impact of my work in fostering a community for other students is really rewarding.
— Maya Jackson

Jackson encourages other Harvard Griffin GSAS students to get involved and become a Student Center Fellow. To learn more, just come to a Student Center event and talk with her and her colleagues. “We all try to be very accessible and would be happy to speak to anyone interested in joining our team.”

In the meantime, Jackson will continue to focus on families. “My ideal is to have at least one major event per month,” she says. “Having the ability to shape and foster community while I’m here, I would like that to be my legacy.”

Students can find more information about programming for student families via Community Building Planning for Harvard Families on Engage, the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student-Parents Group, and the university-wide Harvard Student Parents and Caregivers Network. 

Interested in becoming a Student Center Fellow? Learn more on Engage, and make sure to check out the Inside SCOOP: Student Center Fellows Info Session on Wednesday, February 10, 2026.