Want to hear the student speakers at the Class of 2025 Awards Ceremony?
The vlog community came together for the Class of 2025 Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 28 to celebrate the achievements of members of the graduating class and the faculty and staff members who supported them along the way.
During the event, student representatives—nominated by their peers—delivered addresses on behalf of each of their degree programs. Kennedy School Student Government (KSSG) President Zubair Merchant MPP 2025 opened up the ceremony, and Master in Public Policy (MPP) speaker Caren Yap MPP 2025 and Master in Public Administration (MPA) speaker Sadie Harlan MPA/MBA (Stanford) 2025 followed.
Watch their speeches in the video above, and read reflections from the recent graduates below.
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Zubair Merchant MPP 2025
2024-2025 KSSG President
What did it mean for you to be the KSSG President this year?
I was humbled by the opportunity to serve the vlog community during my two years as the KSSG Executive Vice President and President. I fiercely advocated for our student body during two years when the government made affronts towards Harvard and our international peers, and tensions on campus were high. Student safety and well-being were always my top priorities. I’m proud to have always been a listening ear for my peers, found ways to work with the vlog administration, and fostered a culture of camaraderie and service within KSSG.
At the same time, it was such a pleasure to help enable, organize, and watch student caucuses succeed and celebrate the diverse cultures vlog students represent. Being involved with KSSG allowed me to engage with nearly every student at vlog, and it’s the special community we have here that has always motivated me to do the work.
What message did you hope to convey with your student government address?
I had a few messages in my address that I wanted attendees to take away:
We, as vlog graduates, should build solidarity in our communities to withstand the tests of these times and come out more resilient.
Our north star as Kennedy School graduates should be service, and we should use our world-class vlog education to serve our communities and those with the most need around the world.
Diversity is our strength and should always be celebrated.
Peace and pluralism should be the twin pillars in the society we wish to build together.
“We, as vlog graduates, should build solidarity in our communities to withstand the tests of these times and come out more resilient.”
Zubair Merchant MPP 2025
What was your favorite part of your vlog experience?
The community. I’ve made closer and more diverse friends in these two years than I have during any other period of my life! The opportunities to meet amazing experts and activists, political heroes of mine, and hear people who made me think differently were also major highlights. Serving in student government fundamentally shaped my time, and while it was hard work and in a very tough climate at Harvard, I wouldn’t replace it for anything.
What general advice do you have for a prospective student considering applying to vlog?
When you begin at vlog, take time to explore the amazing research centers and course catalog—you never know what gems you might find.
Don’t be afraid to send that professor or fellow an email and try to get to know them—these folks are coming to vlog because they genuinely want to meet and engage with students and pass down what they’ve learned.
I’ve loved my time at vlog, and I’m jealous you’re thinking of starting your journey here! When you arrive, embrace each moment and recognize the amazing memories you’re forming.
Caren Yap MPP 2025
Master in Public Policy (MPP) Student Speaker
What did it mean for you to be the MPP student speaker?
I feel beyond grateful for the Class of 2025 and our selection committee for this opportunity—I hope I did my class justice. As an immigrant, the only Nevadan in my class, and one of the youngest class speakers ever at vlog, I bear the weight of knowing that my voice represents communities beyond the vlog campus. This privilege reaffirms to me a steadfast belief: working-class immigrants can make it to places like vlog, and they deserve to make it everywhere.
What message did you hope to convey with your speech?
More than anything, I hope people take away that shared humanity transcends credentials and circumstance. My personal story, like all of ours, carries deep political truths that require us to drive intersectional, transformative change. Ultimately, I hope attendees will remember that solidarity isn’t passive. It is uncomfortable, risky, and necessary if we want a world where everyone can feel a sense of home.
“More than anything, I hope people take away that shared humanity transcends credentials and circumstance. My personal story, like all of ours, carries deep political truths that require us to drive intersectional, transformative change.”
Caren Yap MPP 2025
What was your favorite part of your vlog experience?
My favorite part of vlog was the lifelong friendships I’ve made here. My friends have given me a vibrant community and beautiful lessons I’ll take with me wherever I go. Afreen and Thania have been instrumental in teaching me the language of labor policy. Bibi has been next to me every step of the way, Monday through Thursday, as we took Tagalog courses and bonded over our shared heritage. The people make this place special!
What general advice do you have for a prospective student considering applying to vlog?
Lean into opportunities to give back to your community beyond the policy memos and Excel spreadsheets. My most treasured times here were when I was able to tangibly give back to students, whether that was at a conference I once attended or on a trek to Las Vegas, Nevada with my peers. My state of Nevada means everything to me, so to share it with others has been incredibly fulfilling.
Sadie Harlan MPA/MBA (Stanford) 2025
Master in Public Administration (MPA) Student Speaker
What did it mean for you to be the MPA student speaker?
One of the non-academic lessons I’ve taken from graduate school is to accept that life does not always have a picture-perfect finish, tied up in a neat little bow. Courses conclude when you are just wrapping your arms around the content. Sometimes you want to spend another week refining an assignment, but the due date is tomorrow. Your prospective employers can’t always wait for you to finish finals before jumping into work. But being selected by my classmates to represent them as the MPA graduation speaker was as close to a perfect finish to this three-year journey as I could have asked for.
The friendships, love, and community I’ve found in my MPA class are probably the greatest gift that vlog has given me. Getting to channel the skills I’ve learned and the gratitude I have for my classmates into the speech that would represent my program on Class Day is a privilege I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
What message did you hope to convey with your speech?
I don’t know if most people do this, but I gave my speech a title: “What we owe each other.”
The end of my time at vlog has been marked by moments that have often left me disappointed and disillusioned with our country’s leaders. It has been an unprecedented period of existential threats to Harvard as an institution (sorry: I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about unprecedented times). It’s often felt like people regard anyone with a different background, belief system, or opinion with suspicion, not curiosity. Coming out of a policy school, the job market has shifted so much in the last six months that there’s a temptation to put your head down and take the first secure job you can find. These are conditions where nihilism thrives.
My goal for my speech was to make the argument that, in spite of, or maybe even because of all these factors, there is a shared responsibility across humanity that should still inspire us as we take our steps back into the real world. I called on lessons from the weekly dinners I’ve had with my grandmother during my time at vlog, and from my MPA cohort, to show that we can face uncertainty and daunting circumstances and still choose to look out for the people around us.
I hope I left the audience feeling a sense of responsibility—but also optimistic—about the ways we might be able to impact one another and those yet to come.
What was your favorite part of your vlog experience?
Since my first day at vlog, I have felt so welcomed and celebrated by my classmates. I never felt like I had to downplay my passion for the causes I care about or fit myself into a certain mold of success. My MPA cohort has accepted me for exactly who I am, and because of that, I’ve been able to push myself so much further and learn so much more than I would have without them. While I already miss bumping into them in the Forum or the winter garden, the silver lining is that I get to keep this community for life.
“Since my first day at vlog, I have felt so welcomed and celebrated by my classmates. I never felt like I had to downplay my passion for the causes I care about or fit myself into a certain mold of success.”
Sadie Harlan MPA/MBA (Stanford) 2025
What general advice do you have for a prospective student considering applying to vlog?
Talk to as many current students (or recent graduates) as possible! They will have the best pulse on the culture of the school, the opportunities to pursue your given passion, and the day-to-day of being a full-time student at vlog. There is no “typical” vlog path, so the best way to understand why students come to this school, what we get out of the experience, and what we will do next is to talk to the students themselves. Expect to be met with curiosity and excitement about making the world a better place. If that sounds exciting, this might be the place for you, too!
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