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1 2023-04-24T23:45:22-04:00 Oliver Hirshland 7adf6597d7235a50dc7274566610ecb095ad925a 12 1 Me with fellow Key member Jack Traina at the MCB80 fair. plain 2023-04-24T23:45:22-04:00 173727 20211122 20211122 173727 Oliver Hirshland 7adf6597d7235a50dc7274566610ecb095ad925aThis page is referenced by:
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2023-03-01T13:07:27-05:00
Oliver Hirshland: Story of Self
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2023-04-30T22:02:14-04:00
After a year of traveling alone, needing to make new friends every week, I entered Harvard thrilled at the prospect of being able to spend more than a couple days with the same people. I was eager to finally be around people my age and I spent my orientation trying to meet as many fellow first-years as possible. When the semester began, I decided to take some light courses and not overwhelm myself with work or extracurricular activities so that I could focus on getting situated and finding my place on campus. Unfortunately, most of my peers seemed to throw themselves into their work and classes, quickly solidifying friend groups. Thus, I found myself with a lot of free time and no one to spend it with.
By the end of my freshman fall semester, I was incredibly lonely and felt out of place at Harvard. As the spring semester was starting up, I didn’t want to repeat my previous mistakes, so I signed up for as many extracurriculars as possible, including one called the Crimson Key Society. I knew almost nothing about Crimson Key, but I had a friend tell me I should comp. I had no idea that the comp was as intense and selective as it was, I just decided to give it a shot and hope for the best. During my comp process, I began to learn about the work Key did, from tours to first year orientation, and the community Key formed. I was intrigued, but still a little intimidated by the group. Unfortunately, in between the first and second rounds of comp, Covid hit and we were all sent home. I completed the rest of comp and the semester virtually.
I ended up getting into the Crimson Key Society, but spent nearly all of Covid too intimidated to engage with the group. It wasn’t until I got back on campus in 2021 for first year orientation that I finally got to know what Key was about. I spent the entire week working long and grueling shifts helping first years move in and get to know each other and spending all night hanging out, celebrating, or just talking. I finally began to feel like I had a place on campus that was excited to have me and was connecting with people in a way I hadn’t before. Being able to help first year students get excited about Harvard and make them feel more welcome on campus was something that truly meant a lot to me. Thus, that winter, when it came time for board elections, I decided to run for Secretary.I then spent the next year writing birthday emails for all 100 members, helping select our next class, and pouring my time and effort into Key. Key gave me a home and a family on campus and I genuinely loved the service we did for Harvard, so I wanted to give back and help give the next class the same experience I had. Fast forward and I decided to run for President of the Crimson Key Society. Being a leader has not been without its challenges, however, and I often found myself discouraged and stressed in my role and would sometimes lose sight of all the joy that Key brought me, which is why I wanted to pursue a project that not only served Key, but would invigorate and energize me as well.