Sail away to Summit excitement at Harvard University!
If you missed any of our blogs highlighting the exciting activities students will experience during the Summit at Harvard University, you can catch up by reading more here. Now, join Jeremy as he rounds out our tour of the Leadership in Action Summits at Harvard.
Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the country (but you knew that already). It has a story unlike any other American university. Check out a few of the fun facts about Harvard:
Eight Harvard alumni signed the American Declaration of Independence — John Adams, Samuel Adams, William Ellery, John Hancock, Elbridge Gerry, William Hooper, Robert Tree Paine, and William Williams.
Eight US Presidents hold degrees from Harvard, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
The Harvard campus sits on approximately 5,000 acres of land, or nearly 8 square miles!
Harvard’s annual endowment is the largest of any university in the world! At $36 billion dollars, Harvard’s annual endowment is larger than the GDP of 102 countries.
As great a university as Harvard is, more than 50 fantastic colleges and universities call the Boston area home. One such prestigious university will actually be a stop on your Boston city tour.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, was founded in 1861, and like Harvard is located in Cambridge. With just over 11,000 students, MIT is considered the premier math and science university in the country and is known for cultivating entrepreneurship. Companies founded by MIT grads include Buzzfeed, Qualcomm, Khan Academy, Dropbox, HP, and Intel.
While at MIT, check out the domes, the infinite hallway, and the bookstore. Fun fact: did you know you can get your pirate’s license from MIT? Yes, that’s a thing! Just complete the pistol, archery, fencing, and sailing classes and you too can be a licensed pirate!
Across town is the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, a space dedicated to the 35th President of the United States. As part of the Summit, you will have the chance to see display items related to Kennedy and his family. After you view a short video about his early life, check out the replica of the White House Oval Office, artifacts from the 1960 election, and gifts given to the first family by other countries’ heads-of-state. Take a moment to reflect on the stark and solemn events of Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963. Before you depart, snap a quick group photo outside where the beautiful bay serves as the backdrop.
After all the hard work you put into the week, the final day of the Summit gives you a chance to let your hair down. What better way of capping off the week of a lifetime than with a Boston Harbor cruise!
The two-hour cruise features awesome views of the Boston skyline, constant flyovers from jumbo jets landing at Logan Airport, a spectacular lunch, and a chance for one last, big blow-out with your new friends. Make sure to hit the dance floor as the ship’s DJ curates the soundtrack of your best summer ever!
The summer of 2020 will afford students enrolled at the Harvard Leadership Summits an incredible opportunity to grow their leadership skills in one of America’s most revered higher-education settings. We can’t wait to help all our student leaders achieve their goals through this life-changing learning experience.
By Jeremy Potter
Jeremy has served with Ambassador Leaders since 2013 . As a middle school social studies teacher, Jeremy loves traveling to historical sites around the country, with Boston being his favorite city. He has also traveled the world with students, teaching them that cultural immersion is the best path to better global citizenship.