A Harvard Thing a Day: Tomorrow, Try Something New You Can Only Do Here

At Harvard, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how many opportunities are available on a daily basis. Just take a look at this past week’s calendar: campus organizations have hosted events with world-famous comedian Iliza V. Shlesinger, former House Speaker Nancy P. Pelosi (D-Calif.), and former Republican Presidential candidate Nikki R. Haley.

For this reason, when we first arrived on campus two years ago, my friend Uri A. Rolls ’26 told me he vowed to do a “Harvard thing a day” — HTD — to ensure he never overlooked these opportunities available at our fingertips. The idea was simple: experience one extraordinary Harvard event each day, something beyond the quotidian routine of class, study, sleep, repeat. I decided I would join him.

I admit, HTD is a hard feat to accomplish, and over the years, I, too, have failed many times to meet my own commitment. After all, we’re incredibly busy with schoolwork, social activities, and the millions of student organizations we decided to join.

But HTD is a mindset that more students would do well to embrace. When we step outside our academic cocoons, we open ourselves up to transformative experiences that can profoundly shape our development as young scholars and leaders.

When we limit ourselves to the confines of our coursework, we risk missing out on the vibrant intellectual and cultural life that thrives on this campus. Harvard draws an astounding array of distinguished visitors, from best-selling authors and Broadway stars to Nobel laureates and seasoned policymakers.

These opportunities are only available at a place like Harvard: It is a rare privilege to have a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist or a former congressperson as a potential mentor. But when we graduate, we will likely lose this easy access to these incredible people, and if we do not take advantage of it now, we may regret these missed opportunities for the rest of our lives.

Ten years from now, I may not remember the extra hours I spent cramming for exams, but I’ll certainly remember my chats with Stefan Löfven, a former Prime Minister of Sweden, and all my late-night talks with friends. Those are the moments that will define my Harvard journey.

The HTD mindset shouldn’t limit students solely to academic speaker events. It can consist of fun outings, too. Grab beers at Grendel’s — Harvard’s local pub — with a new friend, watch a theatrical production from our peers, or attend a Harvard Political Union debate. We have as much to learn from our peers, who are some of the most intriguing and gifted 20-year-olds in the world, as we do from the professionals in our community. Conversations among friends can open our eyes to new passions, challenge our assumptions, and remind us of what Harvard has to offer beyond the lectures in Sever or rare manuscripts in Houghton.

So let’s make a concerted effort to explore a “Harvard Thing a Day.” The most life-changing opportunities may be hiding in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered.

Maya Shiloni ’26, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a double concentrator in Government and Economics in Mather House.