The Citizen

By Jaya Bhagat, MC-MPA’13 & Mason Fellow  “You are sad,” said the White Knight.  “Let me sing you a song to comfort you. ….Everybody that hears me sing it.  Either it brings tears to their eyes, or else.” “Or else what?” said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause. “Or else it doesn’t, […]

By Jaya Bhagat, MC-MPA’13 & Mason Fellow  A bright sunny afternoon has given way to a brooding, overcast night in Cambridge.  Three people are dead, among them an eight-year-old child.  One hundred seventy people are injured, many grievously. Bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon finish line have transformed that joyous event into tragedy. A quicksilver […]

By Azum Z. Ali, MPP’13, Correspondent I give the Islamophobia Network some credit for identifying a new aspirational peer for me, as an American Muslim who aspires to serve the public.  Imagine my elation when I learned of the latest change on the national security team.  The appointment of John Brennan, formerly Deputy National Security […]

By Ben Goldsmith, MPA’13, Correspondent Editor’s Note: This column was written in response to the April 8 story by Alexi White entitled, We have more to contribute than money: Why I won’t be donating to the HKS Fund. We HKS students want to change the world. We want more women students and faculty on campus. […]

By Anthony Barrows, MC/MPA’13, Staff Writer We’ve all been there. We were celebrating a friend’s birthday; then festivities hit a snag. The plan may be to hit a popular (read: trendy and overhyped) spot in the Back Bay for dinner, dancing and drinks. However, the group faces a long line, in the cold, and menacing […]

By Nick Wilson, MPP’14, Staff Writer While picking up my badge at the Boston Convention Center, I was asked if I desired a tour of the floor. “No time,” I replied. “I’m here for the US Barista Championship and defending champion Katie Carguilo is about to compete in the semi-finals. Point me in that direction.” […]

By The Citizen Staff The second floor study space of Taubman was transformed into a space befitting its name – The Lounge – on Thursday night when 40 odd students huddled together in the cozy space to celebrate Open Mic Night. Organized by Pipeline, a group started in 2010 composed currently of MPP students, the […]

By The Citizen Staff The student government has marked the last week of April (22-27) for ‘Around the World’ – a week-long celebration of the domestic and international diversity at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS).  International students make up about 40 percent of the student body at HKS, with the other 60 percent representing diverse communities […]

By Ishani Mehta, MPP’14, News Editor Last month, I had the opportunity to attend an invigorating talk by Harvard alumnus Horacio Rodríguez Larreta who serves as the dynamic Chief of Cabinet in the Buenos Aires City Government in Argentina.  The talk, titled “The Challenge of Transforming Buenos Aires”, drew insights from Larreta’s public service career […]

By The Citizen Staff Two explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday thrust the city into the international spotlight this week; as media outlets from around the world flooded in to report the story, dignitaries – including President Barack Obama – offered condolences, and a carjacking early Friday morning led to a day-long […]

By Nathan Finney and Billy Pope, MC/MPA’13 As my hands were burning from the hot dishwater and my eyes filled with tears listening to a nation’s leader console his people, I was also laughing out loud at a more base, yet more real form of healing. Over curt words of profanity and good-natured inter-service rivalry, […]

By The Citizen Staff Capping more than seven months of research, meetings and phone calls; the Kennedy School second year Masters of Public Policy (MPP) students turned in their culminating project last week. The Policy Analysis Exercise (more commonly known as the PAE) is an extensive research project for an organization or government agency that […]