Parents Weather the Snow to Attend Harvard Junior Family Weekend

Parents of the Class of 2020 were unfazed by the snowfall that swept the northeast this past weekend as they arrived on Harvard’s campus to participate in Junior Family Weekend — an annual event that welcomes family members of the junior class to spend time on campus.

Scheduled programming for the weekend offered junior class parents a window into what life at Harvard is like for their children. The events, which began Friday morning and concluded Saturday midday, included information sessions, tours of Harvard’s museums and libraries, faculty presentations, and House events.

Sarita Damaraju ’20 said she appreciated the opportunity the weekend provided to share activities she is involved in on campus with her parents, who came from Texas.

Damaraju, a performer and organizer of Harvard South Asian Association’s Ghungroo show, said her parents attended the show during the weekend.

“Me and my friends have been working on it for awhile so it was nice to have them meet my friends and see the whole production, which I’ve been talking about for so long,” Damaraju said.

Alexa “Raven” Richard ’20, whose parents and sister came to Junior Family Weekend from Georgia, said she and her family enjoyed the Saturday morning faculty presentations. They attended Philosophy Lecturer Cheryl Chen’s presentation “Divine Providence and the Problem of Evil: Is God a Free-Range Parent?”and Government Professor's lecture “Tech Science to Save the World."

While some families adhered to the program, others said they made their own fun, using the weekend to unwind by touring Boston, dining out, or shopping.

“I have some friends who take their parents to classes to take them through their everyday routine, but we approached it as sort of a respite,” said Yu-Mi Kim ’20, whose parents flew in from New York. Kim said she and her parents ate out throughout the weekend.

Many students said they enjoyed Friday evening’s House receptions, which brought together faculty deans, juniors, and their parents within the respective Houses. Some students said the event provided an intimate setting for parents to mingle with their children’s friends and their children’s friends’ parents.

Nicholas E. Stauffer-Mason ’20 said the reception was “definitely a highlight.”

“It was a great opportunity for my parents to meet my other friends’ parents in a way that doesn’t necessarily happen organically otherwise,” he said.

Madeleine R. Snow ’20 said she felt it was important for her parents, who drove from Chappaqua, NY to “meet people who have the greatest impact on” her college experience.

“Also, you know, we miss our families,” she added.

For students whose parents were unable to visit Harvard over the weekend, the Undergraduate Council hosted a three-course lunch on Saturday that coincided with the scheduled Class of 2020 Luncheon in the Houses for juniors and their family members in the House dining halls. Professors from various departments and the dean and associate dean of undergraduate education attended the UC-hosted lunch.

UC President Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 said Junior Family Weekend can be “isolating” for students whose parents were unable to attend. The lunch with faculty, she said, would provide alternative support to these students.

“Having the faculty members there to still help provide them with support and guidance through meaningful conversations is incredibly meaningful,” she said.

Mfundo T. Radebe ’20, who is from South Africa, said his parents were unable to come to campus for Junior Family Weekend due to the distance.

Nonetheless, Radebe said he felt that Family Weekend had an uplifting effect on the ethos of the campus.

“There’s something I really loved about parents weekend because it’s just like — even though my parents weren’t here — Harvard just felt more wholesome and less stressful,” Radebe said.

—Staff writer Ema R. Schumer can be reached at ema.schumer@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @emaschumer.