Class of 2014 Elects Eight Senior Class Marshals

The eight senior class marshals for the Class of 2014 represent just four of Harvard’s 12 Houses: three are residents of Cabot, and for the second year in a row, three call Quincy home. One comes from Mather and the last, from Kirkland.

Senior Class Marshal election results were released early Monday morning, with Jennifer Q. Zhu ’14 and Christopher H. Cleveland ’14 named First and Second Class Marshal, respectively.

“I was in complete shock when I found out I would be First Class Marshal,” Zhu, who is the Undergraduate Council Vice President, wrote in an email. “I was on the fence about running, but I was really lucky to have some amazing friends reach out to me and encourage me to consider running, because they knew how much I cared about the school.”

The eight marshals will serve on the Senior Class Committee along with House Representatives, the Class Secretary, and the Class Treasurer. The committee is charged with planning and running social activities and events for the senior class, culminating in Senior Week and Class Day at the end of the year. The committee is also responsible for organizing reunions and other alumni events after graduation.

All eight elected marshals said they are already thinking about plans for the coming year.

“I am envisioning many outings to museums, live shows, and wacky senior bars, as well as study breaks and dance parties,” Yolanda K. Borquaye ’14 wrote in an email. “But I am also excited to hear what the rest of my classmates envision for our final year here at Harvard, so we can make those happen as well.”

Anthony A. Palillo ’14 said he hopes the committee will find creative ways beyond just Boston outings and senior bars to bring the class together and make memories.

“We could have a senior time capsule or something, and maybe also a senior class Tinder-type app,” he wrote in an email, referencing the popular matchmaking application for smart phones. “At the end of the day, I really just want the class to come together and make memories to last a lifetime.”

In addition to organizing Senior Week, the Senior Class Committee is also charged with finding speakers for Class Day.

When asked who their ideal Class Day speaker would be, the eight marshals named everyone from the Clintons to Beyonce. The Obamas, Tina Fey, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jennifer Lawrence also came up as possible contenders.

While Zhu listed big names like Hillary Clinton among her ideal picks, she also cautioned that securing a speaker can be difficult because Harvard does not pay for speaking fees.

“One big misconception about Senior Class Committee is that Harvard provides funding for events,” she wrote, adding that she and Cleveland had already talked to last year’s first and second class marshals about the difficulties of securing a Class Day Speaker.

This year’s group of class marshals represent diverse backgrounds and interests, with members who have taken part in activities ranging from the UC and FOP to Pops Orchestra and PBHA. But all of them expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve their senior class.

“It means that I have the privilege to work toward the good of my class, now and into the future,” Cleveland wrote. “I consider the position an honor.”

Erin D. Drake ’14 said that for her, “being a Class Marshal means investing in Harvard and investing in the experiences of students like me.”

“Harvard, for better or worse, means a lot to me, and the experiences I have had over the past three years have shaped the person I am and the person I want to become,” Drake wrote in an email.

Zhu, Cleveland, Borquaye, Drake, and Palillo will be joined as class marshals by Akshay M. Sharma ’14 of Cabot, Roland Yang ’14 of Kirkland, and Ginny C. Fahs ’14 of Quincy, also a Crimson magazine editor.

—Staff writer Rachael E. Apfel can be reached at rachaelapfel@college.harvard.edu.