Significant Impact
"Stride Rite had a significant impact on my professional choices. Arriving at Harvard, I saw my need to work a part-time job and my desire to perform community service as incongruous. The Stride Rite Community Service program gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for community service - cementing in my mind my life's desire to serve others - while making the money I needed to put myself through college."
-Robert Giannino-Racine '94

Skills and Courage
"Through Stride Rite I learned the skills I need to be a leader in public service and the courage to make the choice to dedicate my professional life to service."
-Coley Barbee '05

Confidence
"The most important impact Stride Rite had was the boost of confidence it gave me. I entered college as a shy, insecure 17-year-old, wondering if I got into Harvard by mistake. I graduated feeling sure that I had the potential to make a significant difference in the world. I knew that I possessed skills and resources, talent and direction that could be used to make a difference. Stride Rite and PBHA convinced me that I had a gift and that it was my duty and my joy to use that gift to serve others."
-Michelle Hickman '94

Perspective
"I have gained a lot of useful, practical skills, such as those related to leadership, communication, and organizing. At the same time, I think I have also developed a more mature, balanced, and empathetic perspective that I hope to carry with me in my future work."
-Margaret Hsieh ‘05

Amazing People
"I met some of the most genuine and inspiring people in Stride Rite. It is not common to find so many people gathered together who believe that it is fulfilling to serve someone and something other than yourself. It helped me to see the world in a bigger perspective than just Harvard or academia."
-Sophia Taula '04

New Ideas
"Stride Rite asked for more from us, making us share our experiences and struggles and confront each other's viewpoints. This enabled me to get to know people on a whole different level, and exposed me to ideas, backgrounds and worldviews I would not have otherwise encountered. It made me realize how much more there is to learn, and how much variation there is even among a small community wedded to a common cause. It made me a lot more aware and open-minded, something I deeply appreciate."
-Quang Tran '05

Reflection
"Stride Rite was my first experience with taking out time to reflect on my service activities, and cultivating the skill of evaluating my performance and determining my areas of strength and weakness helped me throughout college in various leadership positions. I think starting a habit of reflection has made me a more mature person who is able to recognize and willing to correct her shortcomings."
-Tanya Thompson '06

Commitment
"Wow. I do not think I would be where I was now personally or professionally had it not been for Stride Rite. As I mentioned above, the Stride Rite program facilitated my total commitment to service. This total commitment is what really pushed me to learn and grow within my service experiences, and to take my programs and my leadership to the next level. Teaching in Uganda and NYC have been incredibly challenging experiences. My participation in the Stride Rite program gave me the confidence to meet the challenges in every professional situation I have come across."
-Rini Fonseca-Sabuni '04