Can They Stay Cool After All These Years?

Are seniors born cool, or do they have coolness thrust upon them? That’s the question we asked former “Most Interesting Seniors” to see if their glory days faded in their final days at college or if they managed to maintain their ability to be interesting individuals beyond Harvard’s gates.

One alumnus has managed to mix work and play: meet Caleb I. Franklin ’05, a former Class Marshall who is now trying to get to know the ins and outs of Hollywood. After graduation, Franklin traveled to India for a year and a half with the George Peabody Gardner traveling fellowship. “I participated in Total Film, a project that teaches about 1,000 Indian kids how to make movies. I worked in Bollywood, and filmed a documentary on the human hair trade called ‘100% HAIR,’” he says.

Franklin is poised to become one of the “gatekeepers” of Hollywood, though he can still be labeled by the one word he used in 2004 to describe himself: Crazy-ethno-afro-funkadeliciousness. “That’s definitely still a part of who I am,” he laughs. “I don’t think that will ever go away.”

Matthew H. Espy ’03 was widely known in 2002 for his considerably speedy mathematical ability and his tendency to travel as frequently and widely as possible. Both are still active components of his life, he assured us, just after arriving back in town after a weekend in Tampa chasing the Falcons football team.

“Every weekend, I try and go somewhere,” he says. “Since September, I’ve probably made over 15 trips—Cincinnati, Detroit, Boston. You name it.” Not quite India, but you get the picture.

Meanwhile, Justin A. Erlich ’03, the man behind the legend that was Quincy Grille, has dreams of litigating for major social causes like affirmative action, or of running an entrepreneurial start-up. After graduation, Erlich spent some time in Washington, DC, worked for the Kerry campaign, and ended up at NYU Law School. He still has a soft spot for his Harvard years—and Harvard food. “Some of the people there were remarkably interesting, smart, funny, and fun,” he recalls. “A rare combination, one realizes later in life. And while the food may not be amazing, the dining hall is an oft-overlooked perk.”

Maybe coolness doesn’t die upon graduation. Maybe.