My name is Jaden “JD” Deal and I’m currently a first-year who will be living in Pforzheimer House. I serve in two main leadership capacities on campus at Harvard. The first is as program chair for the National Campaign within the Harvard Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. The second is as the Associate Campus Editor for the Harvard Political Review, also within the IOP. My project for action was initially going to focus on researching and improving the impact measurement of the organization on our national network. However, with the coronavirus crisis taking us off campus, I decided to switch to the HPR. In this role, I edit and publish articles which are related to Harvard’s campus while pursuing more independent projects on increasing content production and writer retainment. 

With the end of my first year coming to an end, I can now reflect that I had a tough transition to Harvard. I was homesick, felt imposter syndrome, and was relatively introverted through many of my courses. The HPR gave me my home on campus and all of the close friends I’ve made this year have been through the organization. Not only does it give me a place to express my political opinions, but it provided me with the community that I so desperately needed. Within my first year, I’ve written twelve articles ranging from interviews with prominent political figures to feature pieces on the legitimacy of Harvard’s own student government. My writing has improved significantly and I’m now able to look at the journalism of more prominent publications with a critic’s eye. My articles are viewable here.

Outside of HPR and the National Campaign, I’m also a staffer for Harvard Model Congress where I enjoy teaching delegates about the U.S. government. Before we were moved off of campus, I was conducting archival research with a professor to help with the book he’s writing on Harvard’s history. I also used to play in the Harvard Wind Ensemble and worked in the Office of Career Services.