It was a warm summer day, exactly four years ago, and I was struggling. Sitting on my couch, at my home in Fort Worth, Texas, I was wrestling with my final paper of my very first semester at the Harvard Extension School. And I was about to throw in the towel.
You see, I had been out of school for 19 years, and I had lost almost all confidence in my writing ability.
My wife knew I was struggling. And she walked over to me, looked me dead in the eye, and said, “Carlo. Just make it through writing your next sentence. Then the next paragraph. And then finish the page. And then do a few more. Get through the class and you will survive the semester. One step at a time.”
Not only did I get through that first paper, but three years later I had experienced one of the best programs in all of higher education: the Harvard Extension School.
This degree can open unimaginable doors for you.
And the reason why it’s SO good is because it’s hard. There might be times in this program when you’ll feel out of your league. You’ll feel imposter syndrome. And others might question if you really have enough time in your schedule to do this. You might have moments when you want to give up.
I know I did. And to keep me motivated, I found a great quote and set it as the wallpaper on my laptop so every time I opened it to start writing, I saw it. It goes:
“I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.”
Students, you are indeed attempting something great. And here’s your secret weapon. You are surrounded by some of the most thoughtful, empathetic, and driven people you will ever meet.
Get to know them. Lift them up if you see them struggling. Encourage them to just make it through the next sentence, then the next paragraph. From time to time, we all need a little pep talk.
And then there’s the faculty and staff. I cannot stress enough how world-class they are, and I hope you get to learn from my favorites: Drs. Arianne Liazos, Gloria Ayee, Ian Miller, Thomas Ponniah, Mona Weissmark, John Paul Rollert, and Sergio Imparato, to name a few.
I credit my Harvard experience as a launching pad for deeply enriching opportunities.
Here’s the big question: what difference did this experience make in my life? Well, after getting my ALM two years ago in international relations, I was promoted at my job at the City of Fort Worth, the 12th largest city in the country.
And am now in charge of all our international programs and visiting dignitaries, most recently overseeing visits from the ambassador of Tanzania, a consul general of Japan, and the presidents of Estonia and Kosovo. And last month, I was elected chair of the national board of Sister Cities International. I credit my Harvard experience as a launching pad for deeply enriching opportunities like these.
This degree can open unimaginable doors for you. But it’s the journey together with your classmates, professors, faculty, and this institution that will leave you a more equipped, more accomplished, and more fearless person than when you started.
So when you hit that brick wall — and you might — step back, take a deep breath, and remember just make it through the next sentence, then the next paragraph.
Best of luck on an incredible experience here at the Harvard Extension School.
Now go make us proud.
