Phi Beta Kappa Taps ‘Senior 48’ from Harvard Class of 2023

Forty-eight Harvard College seniors on Monday learned they were tapped for induction into Harvard’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. They join 25 of their classmates who were inducted in the spring.

The inductees span all 12 of Harvard’s undergraduate houses and 27 different academic concentrations. Kirkland House boasted seven “Senior 48” inductees — the most of any house — followed by Eliot and Pforzheimer with six each.

Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Social Studies, and Economics each had four inductees, more than any other concentration.

Jaxson T. Hill ’23, a Leverett House resident studying Mechanical Engineering, said he was doing homework when he learned the news.

“I was a bit surprised to see an email that said PBK in the top of the subject line,” he said. “I opened it up and was surprised, very pleased. Took a minute to celebrate, go eat, and then back to work — a little uneventful.”

Cabot House resident Lena Lofgren ’23, a joint concentrator in Government and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, said she first thought she had been rejected when she got that email.

“I was at lunch with a friend and the notification of the email just popped up on my phone. And initially, I thought it was a rejection, but then I read it more closely,” she said. “Then I called my mom, she was really excited — she’s a college professor, so I think that this meant a lot to her, especially because both my parents are immigrants.”

Inductees said they appreciated the ability they had at Harvard to explore many academic disciplines.

Sílvia Casacuberta Puig ’22-’23, a Dunster House resident studying Math and CS who is originally from Spain, said she came to the U.S. to explore subjects beyond her concentrations.

“I think it’s sometimes hard to convince people back home and other places that there’s a lot of value to this liberal arts education,” said Casacuberta Puig, a Crimson Multimedia editor. “I’m happy that the U.S. has prizes or other ways in which they value this diversity of academic topics, because it makes it feel that I feel supported in my decision to study different things.”

Jessica Liu ’23, an Applied Math concentrator in Eliot House, said she was “shocked” when she opened the announcement email in class.

“The capstone of my Harvard path is just exploring multiple things, and that’s also what I think PBK really captures, is that exploration,” she said. “Not just exploring miles deep, but also miles wide.”

Aaryan G. Morrison ’22-’23, a Social Studies concentrator in Kirkland House, said the award validated her academic interests, which she said haven’t always been in the academic mainstream.

“Social Studies in particular hasn’t had a lot of Black or African thinkers on our syllabi over the years,” she said.

“I think it’s hard for me to think about this award in ‘me’ and really singular terms — I have to think about all of the people that have supported me and my time here at Harvard from before I got here,” she added, thanking her parents who are from South Africa and her mentors and professors at the College.

Two of Monday’s inductees — Lauren Kim ’23 and Isaac A. Robinson ’22-’23 — also received U.S. Rhodes Scholarships over the weekend.

The 73 inductees for the Class of 2023 will be joined by approximately 96 more seniors later this year.

— Staff writer Rahem D. Hamid can be reached at rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com.