By Dr. Hagbe Edwige Damaris, Cameroon
Harvard tour, a date all the SUSI 2024 will remember.
I had expected all the surprises but not what I would find on a tour of the mythical and renowned Harvard University. Long live SUSI!
All my Lecturers had told us about the prowess of this centennial institution. Founded around 1637 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was originally called the New College and renamed Harvard University a few years later to honor his benefactor, John Harvard, who donated his library and part of his estate to support education. As SUSI 2024 secondary educators, we had the honour and the privilege to visit this prestigious institution.
What a pleasure to realize how majestic an institution Harvard is. It offers an array of disciplines ranging from humanities, applied sciences to business and technology. Harvard University has a labyrinthian library which contains about three millions books. As we learnt during the dive into Harvard, their educational philosophy is anchored into excellence for “Each Harvard student must be conversant with a bit of everything and a lot of something”. This tenet tells the whole story.
In honor of each Harvard president, a house is often built or a Statue erected. We then saw the Lowell House and statues such as the John Harvard statue, whose architectural design is a combination of taste and intelligence. So, the campus is such a delight for the senses… the feeling is indescribable! Photos speak louder and genuinely. In a few hours, the SUSI team had a taste of paradise. The tour ended with a presentation of the athletic facilities made available in Harvard. The Matlin Athletic Center is an institution within an institution. What a Marvel of God’s Grace.
Harvard definitely stands as both an original tourist and scientific attraction. It is normal, but it has molded and produced personalities such as John F..Kennedy, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckenberg, Matt Damon just to name a few. Great institutions produce great men. John Harvard left a legacy for posterity: quality education, the key to immortality! Harvard remains an international magnet for those who love education from generation to generation.
Thanks ITD for this trip.
All opinions expressed by the program participants are their own and do not represent nor reflect official views from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, or of the Institute for Training and Development, Inc.
