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On Sept. 26, I participated in Chatter and Cheers, a reception at the Harvard Graduate School of Education intended to foster conversations between students and alumni. I was invited to be the VIP at a table featuring alumni working in nonprofits.

Throughout the evening, I shared stories about starting a nonprofit overseas, building an organization focused on empowering North Korean refugees, and about my previous career as an education policy analyst working in Washington. Many were eager to learn about my nonprofit work, how Freedom Speakers International operates internationally and the challenges of advocating for marginalized communities.

As we spoke, an unexpected yet familiar topic popped up. A few students confided in me about their struggles with impostor syndrome, expressing doubts about their place at Harvard. A few of the students returned to my table to talk later.

One student later approached me with a comment that stayed with me. She said, “I wish I had met you sooner.” She explained that during her initial months at Harvard, she had questioned whether she truly belonged. Our conversation, she said, helped her realize she was someone who brought value to the university.

I am not the only one who has heard such things from Harvard students. In her article "Notes from the Dudley Underground," Jackie Yun, a member of Harvard’s Office of Student Services, describes impostor syndrome as an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness” that can be especially intense for graduate students. Many students she encounters feel like “frauds” despite their accomplishments, often discounting their efforts as the result of luck or situational factors rather than genuine talent. Yun reminds students that “you earned your spot here” and encourages them not to compare themselves to others.

In a Harvard Kennedy........

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