Alumna Accepted at Harvard Graduate School of Education
Meredith Bolen ’16 ΑΓΔ recently was informed of her acceptance into the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Bolen will pursue a master’s degree in the Specialized Studies Program beginning this fall.
“I have designed my master’s to focus on global curriculum and the barriers faced in the classroom dealing with technology and educational policies by students, faculty, and staff in the schools,” Bolen says.
While at Westminster, Bolen quadruple majored in elementary education, middle school education, secondary education, and history. She also participated in an independent study in geoscience research that landed her in the Black Hills of South Dakota with a group of other Westminster students.
Bolen says she has slightly mixed emotions about going to Harvard. “I’m excited to continue my education but nervous to move back to the snow,” she jokes. Bolen currently is as a student teacher in the Comfort and Comal Independent School Districts in Comfort and New Braunfels, TX.
A native of Bartlesville, OK, who grew up mostly in Houston, TX, Bolen returned to Texas in December after teaching for two years in Rwamagana, Rwanda, as a Humanity for Children Teaching Fellow. The fellowship followed two previous trips to Rwanda that Bolen took with a group of Westminster students and faculty in 2014 and 2015.
Bolen says her experiences in Rwanda sparked her master’s degree interest in educational obstacles faced by those in countries where basic resources can be scarce. Harvard was the best fit for her educational focus.
“I decided to apply [to Harvard] based on the research opportunities, educational involvement, and the focus to ‘Learn to Change the World,’” Bolen explains, citing the Harvard Graduate School of Education motto. “I could not feel more grateful to have this extraordinary opportunity to study with so much freedom and a wide range of mentors, peers, and fellow students.”
To read more about Bolen and how Westminster helped her find the power in purpose, go here.
