Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus

What’s your background, in a couple quick sentences?

I’m a composer, writer, and teacher; in short, a storyteller. I’m also a Navy brat who mostly grew up in Virginia. My parents are from Alabama, so in my family, “going north for college” literally meant going to school in North Carolina. Going to Harvard changed my life; it exposed me to an entirely new world.

What brought you to Harvard and what did you study?

Leonard Bernstein was my childhood hero. He went to Harvard, so of course I wanted to go there. As a gay kid growing up in southern Virginia, Harvard also seemed like a way out and a path to a different kind of life…which it was.
 

Academically, I was a music concentrator. I was also a double concentrator with physics…until I took Physics 15A and discovered that physics at Harvard – unlike high school physics – was NOT for me!

Where are you now in your career?

I’m just getting back into writing music – my passion – after spending several years building a college admissions consulting business. Helping students find their voices and tell their stories is very rewarding, and getting my book Write Yourself In: The Definitive Guide to Writing Successful College Admissions Essays published by Simon & Schuster was pretty cool. But I’m most excited to be getting back to the work I truly love.

Why did you begin volunteering with HGSC?

Ever since my 25th reunion I’ve been looking for ways to give back that also push the university in directions I think it should be going. HGSC, as well as groups like Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, seem like a great way to do just that. Also, the HGSC events are fun!

What are you excited for in 2026?

Writing music again! And finding new ways to be optimistic about the future during chaotic times.

What's one food you miss most from your Harvard days?

Emack & Bolio’s milkshakes – YUM.

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