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• 1 2023-03-01T13:07:27-05:00 Oliver Hirshland: Story of Self 10 image_header 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.