Exemplary Leadership

I remember when I first arrived at Harvard, there was this kid from a small town in Maine who lived downstairs from me in Mass Hall. Something about his open, genuine and honest demeanor earned him the respect of our entire proctor group within the first few weeks. He was always eager to lend a helping hand, whether it was moving day, study breaks or listening to first year angst.

In my now surreal memories of that first year, my friendship with Joseph M. Garland '00 stands out. I always marveled at his selflessness. Often, I would trudge downstairs to borrow his printer. Always guilty that I was becoming a nuisance, I would nervously ask him if he minded my interrupting and evicting him from his desk in order to print my papers. Joe would always reassure me that it was no problem. He meant it.

All of our paths as Harvard undergraduates differ; there is no way of predicting during the first year the interesting twists, turns and detours we will make. But when I think back, Joe's path makes sense.

Our first year, I sensed that Joe was very dedicated to his work with Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment (BRYE). On Saturday afternoons, his little sibs would visit us in Mass Hall. Often, games, decorations and candy would appear in his suite, left-over from various activities or parties he was organizing with his kids. But then again, as first-years, everyone seemed very enthralled with their particular Phillip Brooks House Association (PBHA) program.

Joe's dedication to BRYE and PBHA was not a passing whim. After directing BRYE his sophomore year, Joe has risen the ranks of PBHA leadership and currently serves as the organization's president. The giving guy from my first-year dorm now heads one of our largest student organizations. His caring nature now impacts the hundreds of Harvard students involved in PBHA and the thousands of Boston and Cambridge community members who benefit from PBHA programs.

Leadership at Harvard is an interesting phenomenon. In a community with unheard of number of per capita high school class presidents, no one is used to or satisfied with being "just a member." We all aspire to lead, to plan and to be in charge. And, if you cannot rise the ranks of your organization, the natural response is to start your own. Joe, though, defies our traditional perception of the Harvard leader. On a recent afternoon, I ate lunch with Joe to catch up on various aspects of our lives. I inquired about the pressures and responsibilities of his office. He modestly hesitated, stressing the vital importance of all of the PBHA cabinet members, officers, directors and volunteers to the organization. He acknowledged the hard work but emphasized how fulfilling he found it.

Back at the office, though, everyone knows that Joe has sacrificed his classes and free time in the name of the job. Student members of the organizations speak with awe about his dedication, especially his concern for the student members and his constant willingness to lend a hand.

Chad B. Denton, '01, co-director of Aiming High for Emerson Academic Development (AHEAD), recalled an episode a few weeks ago. Joe found out that the Denton was short drivers for an AHEAD event and volunteered his services to shuttle PBHA volunteers to the event. Even at the top of the totem pole, Joe does not feel like he is above any task.

Although his friends lament that rather than Mather House, Joe resides in the brick house tucked in the corner of the Yard, his superior dedication to PBHA has not gone unnoticed. Dean Judith Kidd, Assistant Dean for Public Service and Director of Phillips Brooks House marvels at Joe's ability to balance his love for actual service itself with an understanding of the larger picture.

"He has never lost sight of his mission--keep PBHA student-led," Dean Kidd said over email. Fellow members of the PBHA cabinet acknowledge that, at every meeting, Joe will not only help generate new plans and strategies for the organization's future, but will also check off what they have accomplished so far.

Strategic plan. Organizational mission. Larger picture. These are big, power-hungry and empty words. At heart, what Joe really loves and cherishes is spending time with his little siblings, who are now high school student. He has been hanging out with his three younger siblings every Saturday since our first year. Joe is committed to these Boston students and is currently mentoring the youngsters on getting into college. One of them was so inspired by Joe that this summer he volunteered to be a big brother himself.

While Joe shifted uncomfortably in his chair when I grilled him on his "leadership" role, a content smile spread across his face when he avidly began describing these little sibs. The genuine care and love he feels for them was immediately evident.

With all the strange connotations of leadership at Harvard, its reassuring to know that people like Joe are at the top.