How did you fit your education into your life?
When I was looking for a master’s degree program in foreign affairs, I was not in a position to move across the country or go into student debt. HES provided an Ivy League education at an affordable price.
I worked independently as a project manager for website projects, which allowed me to manage my schedule with flexibility and fit in time to attend live classes and do coursework in between work for clients. Meeting the on-campus requirements was simple; I could work remotely while traveling and staying on campus.
I had special considerations as well. I have muscular dystrophy and became fully wheelchair-dependent in 2022, the year before I started the program. I was adapting to a fundamentally different way of moving through the world while simultaneously pursuing a career change and a master’s degree. I was also in the process of obtaining an adapted vehicle that I could drive with hand controls. I was able to start the program in May of 2023, anticipating the arrival of the vehicle that October, which would enable travel to campus the following summer.
Harvard Extension School allowed me to move forward with a major career transition while managing significant health and mobility challenges on a timeline that would not have been possible at a traditional program.
How has your Harvard Extension School (HES) experience helped you throughout your career journey?
Harvard Extension School gave me access to an amazing alumni network and a community of classmates and faculty, many of whom I value greatly as friends. The enthusiastic recommendations of my HES professors allowed me to successfully apply for and land a Ph.D. position at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where I will begin studying government and public policy this fall.
Beyond the Ph.D., the experience gave me the confidence and credibility to launch Current History, an independent consulting practice and publication focused on geopolitical risk in the energy and critical minerals industries. That would not have happened without the intellectual foundation and professional network I built through Harvard Extension School.
What did you learn about your own capabilities through the rigor of your coursework?
It allowed me to confirm something which I already suspected: I could thrive at this level of academic rigor, even though the opportunity to do so had been denied in the past. I always knew I was capable of more, and Harvard Extension School proved it.
One thing specifically that pushed me to grow was the prevalence of speaking opportunities throughout my courses. I have not always been comfortable with public speaking, but now I feel that it is a strength.
Ken at Harvard’s 2026 Commencement.
Was there a turning point or moment during your experience at HES that changed how you see yourself or your future?
The visits to campus and being in Cambridge, surrounded by one of the most renowned academic environments in the world, allowed me to envision a future where this is normal for me. It convinced me to apply for a Ph.D. program in public policy and gave me the confidence to launch my Current History blog and podcast and an independent consulting practice focused on geopolitical risk in the energy and critical minerals industries.
What does earning a Harvard degree mean to you?
It confirms that I belong at one of the most prestigious and the oldest university in the United States. I never imagined this for myself and still have not fully processed what it means.
Describe your Extension experience in one word.
Liberating.
