Hi, I’m Kari (she/her/hers)! Coming into Social Studies with no experience reading theory or asking the types of philosophical questions Social Studies 10 focuses on was quite intimidating for me. I am so grateful that the tutorial-based structure of 10 and the community it creates provided me with a safe space to learn, question, and grow as a thinker.

I came to Social Studies after searching through the rest of Harvard’s social science/humanities concentrations for one suited for the interdisciplinary nature of my academic interests. Although lots of other concentrations at Harvard provide an enriching academic experience for their students, I don’t think there is anything like Social Studies that empowers students to embrace their multiple interests and use them to eventually make a positive influence on the world outside of Harvard.  

Academically, I am interested in studying how environmental racism is embedded in policy and affects people on the ground, especially as it relates to Black communities in the south. I seek to examine how the exploitation of Black people by scientific authorities encouraged a mistrust of science, and I'd like to study how southern Black communities understand the climate crisis and the environmental racism they experience through the lens of this scientific skepticism. 


Extracurriculars: Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard, Small Claims Advisory Service (SCAS), Peer Advising Fellows (PAF) Program, Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW)

Other concentrations considered: History and Literature, Environmental Science and Public Policy (ESPP), Sociology, Government, History, History of Science