Each year, the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Center Fellows design and host programs that bring graduate students together across disciplines and campuses. Senior Program Coordinator Rachael Walker and Hogle Coordinating Fellow Paul Secchia, a fifth-year PhD student in speech and hearing biosciences and technology, sat down to talk about what the Fellows Program is, what students gain from becoming a fellow, and how to learn more and apply before the March 9 deadline.
In a few words, how would you describe the Fellows Program to a friend?
Secchia: Events and programs organized for students, by students.
What made you decide to be a Student Center Fellow in the first place?
Secchia: I participated in several of the intramural sports leagues in my first year at Harvard Griffin GSAS. There was uncertainty about how they were going to transition to create a graduate students-only league. I wanted to get in and make sure I was aware of any opportunities that might show up, so I could make my friends aware, and then it morphed from there.
What has been most surprising about the Fellows Program?
Secchia: I hadn't been aware of the full breadth of programming and opportunities that the Student Center held until I became a fellow. If you're a student who's not on a meal plan or in the residence halls, you don't see that much outside of your department. If you do make it inside Lehman Hall, they have posters for all sorts of events, and there are all these student clubs and organizations that you might not have been aware of.
Walker: People have thought that our programming is just Cambridge-based. All our events take place across different campuses, from Cambridge to Allston and Longwood. Students in the Longwood area are frequently participants in the Outings program. One year, the Neurology students organized to get all the Hamilton, the Musical Tickets. They bought them all in less than two minutes, temporarily crashing the website!
What’s something you’ve learned through the Fellows Program?
Secchia: One thing you learn pretty quickly is how to operate a budget. Oftentimes, it's a budget larger than any student has worked with. It’s great professional development because you also learn a lot about city permits, event planning, and communications, and it gives you a lot of appreciation for the work it really takes to pull through and put something together with a team, especially on a larger scale.
Walker: The Fellows Program is a safe space for students because not only can they take a break from the pressures of their academic or personal lives, but they can also focus on something they're passionate about that brings them joy.
How do you juggle being a fellow with your academic work?
Secchia: I'm based in Boston, so I have my labs over Longwood. I think it's a matter of compartmentalizing the work. We have our fellow team meetings early in the morning on alternating Tuesdays, and I'll go into the lab to work the rest of the day. It’s a good workload—enough that you're actually doing something, but it's not getting in the way of academics.
What kinds of events do fellows offer?
Walker: Our Fellows Program is organized into nine different program areas. For example, our community engagement fellows host many family events; our outings fellows are gearing up for a big ski trip; and our arts fellows offer dance series and some art-making events. This year the arts fellows have hosted several Open Mic Nights in the beloved Café Gato Rojo in the garden level of Lehman Hall.
How does the Fellows Program fit into the broader Student Center mission?
Walker: The Student Center offers social, intellectual, and recreational activities designed to help students make connections outside of the classroom, lab, and library, and across various academic programs and campus locations. The Fellows Program is truly aligned with that mission to help students take a break, try a new hobby or skill, and meet students outside their academic cohorts.
Secchia: The Fellows program is the most direct way that we're doing outreach to students to help them connect with each other and get involved in something beyond their academics.
How do fellows collaborate?
Walker: We really encourage collaboration within the Fellows Program — we make space in our team meetings for people to share programs they're thinking of putting on, and then they help each other with our events.
Secchia: After students share their plans, fellows often express interest in what others are doing, and by the next month, they’re collaborating on events together. For example, the Athletics and Food Literacy fellows recently hosted an electrolyte-tasting event, while the Intellectual, Cultural, and Literary fellows partnered with the Outings fellows to put together a guided cemetery tour around Halloween..
What kind of student makes a great Student Center Fellow?
Walker: A student who is excited about bringing their passion to the Harvard Griffin GSAS community and also focused on feedback from those they're serving.
Paul: People who aren't afraid to ask for or offer help. There are new fellows, and there are returning fellows. Find the returning fellows. Plan an event with them together, collaborate to learn the ropes.
What would you say to someone who’s unsure if they’re qualified or worried about the time commitment?
Walker: Look through that Engage article, “Apply to be a Student Center Fellow for the 2026-2027 Academic Year,” and attend our Inside Scoop event on February 17th, where we'll give additional information. If students have questions, they can always reach out to our Student Center email. We love to hear from them!
Secchia: If they're unsure, I would still encourage them to apply. You can usually do more than you anticipate in the first place, but it's very good to have a realistic understanding of what you can commit to.
How can students learn more and stay up to date on events?
Walker: We have a weekly SCOOP news article that Paul manages, and it goes out every Friday around 12:00 p.m. All our events are on Engage. We also have posters that we put throughout Lehman Hall and the residence halls. The Student Center has an Instagram weekly event roundup in their stories.
The Student Center Fellows Program offers graduate students the opportunity to build community, develop leadership skills, and shape campus life beyond their academic spaces. Apply to be a 2026–2027 Student Center Fellow by March 9!
