HF 24-25Annual Report, final

Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations

ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025 Creating Community Across Cultures

Our Mission + Team The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations was founded in 1981 with a mission to “enhance the quality of our common life.” We continue this charge and remain dedicated to fostering a campus environment where students from all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are empowered to thrive. We seek to uphold our mission by advancing interracial and intercultural awareness, empowering students, and honoring the contributions of our diverse communities.

Our work is centered on four core pillars: Community Building: Creating Community Across Cultures We create opportunities for meaningful connections across cultures by fostering a sense of belonging and unity within the Harvard community.

Educational Programming: Advancing Intercultural Awareness

We provide transformative educational experiences through dynamic events, workshops, trainings, and campus-wide initiatives that deepen interracial and intercultural awareness and understanding.

Specialized Student Support: Empowering Student Success

We offer tailored resources and dedicated support to guide students through their academic and personal journeys by centering their holistic well-being and overall success. Additionally, we offer specialized assistance to firstgeneration, low-income students, and those from historically marginalized backgrounds to ensure they receive the individualized support needed to thrive at Harvard.

Leadership & Student Development: Inspiring Leaders to Influence Change

We nurture student leaders by equipping them with the self-determination and ability to create meaningful change both on campus and beyond.

Through these pillars, we are dedicated to cultivating a Harvard community that celebrates every student and their individual and unique journeys.

Full Time Staff:

Our team includes full time professional staff, undergraduate student workers, and student advisory committee board members. Everyone is dedicated to developing intercultural connections, uplifting people from all backgrounds, and educating our community about the wide array of components that constitute culture!

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

Habiba Braimah

Matias Ramos

Marvin Baclig

Anna Mei Gubbins

Hugo Cardona

Student Workers: Ana Paula Barba ’25, Cody Chou ’25, Hayat Muse ’25, Tiffany Onyeiwu ’25, Isabela Gonzalez Lawand ’26, Nathalie Arruda Milbradt ’26, Amber Nolazco Torres ’26, Jason Coreas ’27, Nana Yaa Dwomoh ’27, Marina Gonzalez ’27, Nhaomi Lartey ’27, Adaolisa Agbakwu ’28, Vanessa Chen ’28, Hamza Zafar ’28 Student Advisory Committee Board: Onovughakpor Otitigbe-Dangerfield ’25, Glorianna Crichlow ’26, Jane Han ’27, Katherine Villanueva ’26, Miguel Martinez ’26

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Table of Contents Our Mission + Team

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A Message From the Director

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At-A-Glance

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Community Building

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Educational Programming

8

Specialized Student Support

10

Leadership + Student Development

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Photo Credits: General + Fashion Show: Hugo Cardona (@hugos.camera) Portraiture Project: Dylan Goodman / Office for the Arts at Harvard Cultural Rhythms 39 -Showcase: Shaun Cunningham (@shauntony) Scholarship & Social Justice Conference: Eli Johnson-Visio (@its.el.vis)

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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A Message From the Director Dear Harvard Foundation Friends and Family, As another academic year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting with deep gratitude and pride on the journey we have traveled together. This year was filled with vibrant initiatives and meaningful moments that reflected the heart of the Harvard Foundation’s mission: to build community across cultures and foster a true sense of belonging for every Harvard College student.

From welcoming our newest students through the FYRE Pre-Orientation Program, to elevating voices during FGLI Visibility Week, and amplifying important conversations through the Disability Awareness Series and the Cultivating Curiosity Series, the Foundation continued to lead with purpose—transforming curiosity into connection and celebrating difference through dialogue.

This year’s Cultural Rhythms Fashion Show, Food Festival, and Showcase beautifully captured the spirit of community, as did our signature Portraiture Project event, which continues to broaden representations of excellence and foster a deeper sense of belonging across campus spaces. The Scholarship and Social Justice Conference once again highlighted the brilliance of undergraduate researchers who are transforming the academy through community-engaged scholarship.

And throughout the year, the Foundation hosted a wide array of social, educational, and intercultural programs, each thoughtfully designed to strengthen our connections and affirm our shared humanity.

Of course, we also navigated challenges including an increasingly complex political landscape that tested our commitment to equity and inclusion. Yet through it all, we remained anchored to our core mission: building community. In doing so, we reaffirmed that belonging, joy, and solidarity are acts of resilience—and that our work remains as vital as ever.

Thank you for being an integral part of the Harvard Foundation family. This year continues to remind us that community isn’t just built in easy moments, but that it is forged through our shared challenges and triumphs. In every challenge, we found new reasons to stay committed to each other—and that, above all, is our greatest success.

As we look ahead, we carry with us the optimism and determination to continue building a Harvard where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to lead with authenticity and courage.

Let’s carry this spirit of connection and resilience forward as we shape an even stronger, more inclusive Harvard.

Habiba Braimah

Habiba Braimah Senior Director, Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations Annual Report 2024 - 2025

Habiba Braimah Portraiture Project Opening, March ‘25

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At-A-Glance Upholding the mission of the Harvard Foundation The Harvard Foundation seeks to uphold our mission by advancing interracial and intercultural awareness, empowering students, and honoring the contributions of diverse communities. Guided by our four core pillars, our office continues to faithfully serve Harvard as we have for the past 44 years, while also striving to meet the needs of those in our community today.

Advancing Awareness

130

9878

Programs & Trainings

Total Program Attendees

205

50

Programs Hosted In Our Space

Student Organizations SAC Grant Recipients

61.5% 52.1% Race Relations Instagram Tutors & Proctors Follower Utilized Increase Program Funding

14.2%

199

Newsletter Subscription Increase

Newsletter Submission Requests

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

One of the major ways that we advance interracial and intercultural awareness is through the myriad of programming we offer and sponsor throughout the year. This year, the Foundation hosted 130 mission-aligned programs and trainings, reaching a combined attendance of over 9850 attendees. These initiatives were thoughtfully designed, planned, and implemented to connect students with educational and campus resources essential for their success. We also support programming through funding made available for the Race Relations Tutors & Proctors along with the Student Advisory Committee grant process for Harvard College registered student organizations (see pg 11).

Empowering Students In alignment with Harvard College’s mission to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society, the Harvard Foundation is committed to developing student leaders. We aim to provide opportunities for them to learn, be challenged, and thrive so that they can be autonomous and empowered leaders. Our Undergraduate Student Worker and Student Advisory Committee Board cohorts give students the opportunity to engage in collaborative partnerships and facilitate connections between our office and the wider campus community. Our office strives to provide students opportunities for professional development and training throughout the year. Our full-time staff also offers individualized advising and mentorship to Harvard College students. Registered student organizations and campus partners are also welcome to book our space to hold their own meetings or events.

Honoring Community Contributions One of the ways that we can honor the contributions of Harvard’s diverse community members is by uplifting programming that is aligned with our mission. This year, we had a net 333 subscriber increase to our newsletter (reaching 2685 total) and a 3,119 Instagram Follower increase (reaching over 9,100 in May 2025). Our office will continue to make every effort to raise awareness for Harvard programming that aligns with our mission. For content guidelines and the submission process, check out the Get Connected tab on our website.

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Community Building Cultural Rhythms 39: Global Encounters This April, the Harvard Foundation hosted a week-long festival of programming leading up to the 39th Annual Cultural Rhythms Showcase. Cultural Rhythms is the college’s oldest and largest celebration of the rich cultural and ethnic diversity in our community. Harvard Foundation Student Workers Anapaula Barba ’25 and Hayat Hassan ’25 served as Cultural Rhythms Co-Directors. Their creativity, dedication, and leadership showed throughout the year-long planning process. This week of programming and showcase was bolstered by the support of our student worker cohort and campus partners.

The theme, “Global Encounters” was present throughout the week which kicked-off with a cultural fashion show. Student models representing over 20 distinct cultures demonstrated how the art of fashion can be used to tell stories, express rich heritages, and share common values. The Foundation also hosted the annual Food Festival where student organizations had the opportunity to share a traditional cuisine and submit a recipe to the 2nd edition of our Cultural Cookbook. We also hosted the Sounds of the World Music Lab where attendees learned more about a variety of musical instruments.

The culmination of the festival was the Cultural Rhythms Showcase that spotlighted ten engaging cultural performances and a conversation with 2025 Artist of the Year, global recording artist, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and activist, Becky G. With almost 2000 in-person attendees throughout the week, we are honored to build on the legacy of the Foundation’s longest-running signature program.

Portraiture Project: Seeing Each Other During Women’s Week 2025, the Harvard Foundation and the Office for the Arts at Harvard, in partnership with the Harvard College Women’s Center, hosted a week-long gallery exhibition at Cabot House featuring a curation of portraits from the Harvard Foundation Portraiture Project (Stephen Coit, ‘71), and the Americans Who Tell the Truth series by Robert Shetterly, ‘69. Both collections have an aligned mission to tell the stories of people who have contributed to their communities in meaningful ways and honor subjects through the medium of portraiture. Portraiture humanizes history and serves as a powerful conduit to further conversations about the multiplicity of the human experience. A portrait invites each of us into our own transcendent conversation with the artwork that evokes empathy, introspection, and connection.

Annual Report 2024- 2025

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Honoring History & Heritage Months

Sept 15 - Oct 15

November

February

March

April

April

May

May

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Harvard Foundation celebrated the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of the myriad of people that make up our community by honoring federally recognized history and heritage months.

These months are designated times to acknowledge contributions of larger groups of people from various cultures.

We took this opportunity to learn more about the legacies of the people in our community and offered various opportunities for Harvard community members to share stories about what their identities mean to them. You can see these stories on our Instagram @harvardfoundation!

Foundation Fridays & Brain Breaks This year we hosted five Foundation Fridays (Sept 13, Oct 25, Nov 8, Jan 31, Apr 25) open to anyone in the Harvard community! Our guests were welcomed into our space and encouraged to spend quality time with our staff and student workers, and build community. These joyous occasions included crafts, food, and educational material that highlighted different aspects of culture. We’re grateful to our campus partners who reached out to collaborate with us to host these large scale events.

We also hosted three late night Brain Breaks (Oct 2, Nov 13, April 23) for first year students in Annenberg Hall in collaboration with the First-Year Experience Office - often with 500+ attendees each night. These events had snacks, educational material, and crafts. Brain Breaks had similar themes to our Foundation Fridays, but the material was specifically put together with First -Year students in mind.

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

Office Hours & Study Jam Sessions The Harvard Foundation is committed to being a welcoming community hub for anyone who visits. To help foster a consistent and welcoming environment, hot coffee and tea are offered daily - creating space for connection, conversation, and a sense of belonging. Our office is open to anyone with a HUID, Monday through Friday, 10am - 5pm.

During reading periods, our office worked to support student success and foster inclusivity by hosting Study Jams Sessions.

We offered snacks from various cultures with vegan and sustainable options available alongside study tables and study music. All students were welcome to stop in, grab a snack, and check in with a study buddy which nurtured a sense of belonging for everyone.

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Educational Programming Cultivating Curiosity & Community Conversations Cultivating Curiosity was a year-long pilot series that encouraged students to deepen their knowledge from experts about complex issues surrounding identity, positionality, and allyship while engaging in reflection and dialogue. Students learn in diverse ways, so we provided a variety of ways to engage with this series including workshops, panels, book talks, and dialogues! This series gave students the opportunity to hear from experts, reflect upon the material they learned, and engage with the material alongside their peers. By cultivating the curiosity already present in our community, we supported students in developing the skills necessary to ask insightful questions, actively listen to informed responses, develop their own opinions, and ultimately aspire to be engaged lifelong learners. Topics included: braille workshops, celebrating bigger bodies and combating anti-fat bias, the First-Gen experience, the art of Reggaeton, the identities and experiences of adoptees, combating islamophobia and antisemitism, critical analysis of the concept of Indigenous historical trauma, wearing natural hairstyles as a Black woman, navigating accessibility in our communities, Black American Sign Language, sustainable Black Entrepreneurship, and pluralism at Harvard.

Cultivating Curiosity was built on the foundation of Community Conversations: the annual entryway programming for first year students designed in collaboration with the First-Year Experience Office, the Advising Programs Office, and the Harvard Foundation. During the Summer of 2024, students completed a series of six modules offered by the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI), and our team utilized these lessons to create a training that encouraged students to reflect on who they are and explore the ways they can contribute to building an inclusive community on campus.

Disability Awareness Series

This year, the Harvard Foundation was awarded a Culture Lab Innovation Fund Grant sponsored by the Office of Community and Campus Life (previously known as the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging) to host this Disability Awareness Series in collaboration with student leaders from the Harvard Undergraduate Disability Justice Club (HUDJ). Throughout the year, we organized 11 events that collectively drew over 400 attendees. The initiative generated digital content that was viewed more than 40,000 times, reached over 26,000 Instagram accounts, and received over 1,000 engagements. This series was designed to celebrate the identities of people with disabilities and provide university-wide programming that focuses on increasing representation and strengthening community building through networking and educational opportunities across student organizations, student affairs offices, and academic departments so that we may all engage in disability justice efforts.

When asked about the most meaningful aspect of this series, participants referenced connecting with others, learning and educating oneself, elevating awareness and engagement to a variety of disability experiences, and having one’s identity represented and validated. One student said, “As someone who is not myself physically disabled, I do think it was really meaningful to be able to enter a space to learn and educate myself without a sense of judgement... It's a privilege to be able to become more inclusive via learnings from others, and it's something I really appreciated.”

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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Scholarship and Social Justice Conference This year marked the 10th annual Scholarship and Social Justice Undergraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship and the Harvard Foundation. It provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about the engaged scholarship of student and faculty researchers, all of which embodied academic excellence. Students, faculty, and staff were inspired by their colleagues’ innovations and insights, and were given opportunities for mentorship and networking throughout the conference.

Sustainability Series Thanks to continued funding from the Johnson Climate Action Grant, the Harvard Foundation hosted both programming that spotlit sustainability and environmentalism and interwove the tenets of sustainable practices into quotidian programming.

The Foundation continues to maintain a hydroponic garden where the community is encouraged to grow their own vegetables and herbs indoors. We are also invested in offering more plant-based and vegan alternatives, and utilizing compostable cutlery whenever possible in an effort to eliminate plastic waste.

As we reflect on the past decade, we are proud to recognize the significant growth and impact of this conference since its launch in 2005. What began with just 30 submissions has expanded to nearly 200 proposals, demonstrating the increasing interest and engagement in this academic forum. This year’s conference welcomed student panelists and poster presenters from 20 distinct educational institutions, underscoring the event’s continued evolution into a vibrant, multi-institutional platform for scholarly exchange and collaboration.

We are grateful for the funding from the Johnson Climate Action Grant which supported our phenomenal faculty panel and keynote address that focused on sustainability initiatives, climate justice, and community engagement to create impactful solutions. Our many thanks go out to our Faculty Chair: Ken Thomas, Ph.D. Ken’s thoughtful mentorship helped weave the meaningful tapestry that was this year’s conference.

In honor of Earth Day, our office collaborated with the Harvard Innovation Labs in moderating a "Sustainable Black Beauty and Entrepreneurship" panel discussion. Throughout the year we also continued the BIPOC Vegan Chef Series with Brazil Green’s Diego Mendonça, James Beard Award Winner and founder of the Sly Fox Den Restaurant and Cultural Center, Sherry Pocknett, and Chef Whitney from Girl on Fire Vegan.

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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Specialized Student Support First-Year Retreat & Experience (FYRE) Now in its seventh year, the FYRE pre-orientation program continues to support first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students at Harvard College. This year, the program welcomed over 130 first-year participants, guided by a dedicated leadership team of 2 Co-Chairs (Byron Gonzalez ’25 and Isabela Gonzalez-Lawand ’26) and 38 Team Leaders, including 6 members of the Steering Committee. In a post-program survey, attendees reported an increase in confidence level, sense of belonging, and access to agency, academic, social, and navigational capital. One student said, “Being provided with a streamlined view of Harvard through the lens of a FGLI student was the most important yet life changing part of this program. I was afraid to not make connections or be notified of any resources, but FYRE consistently showed that resources and relationships are plentiful.”

First-Generation, Low-Income (FGLI) Visibility Week & FGLI Programming

FGLI Week was created in 2022 to enhance visibility and support to the FGLI community at Harvard. This year, the Harvard Foundation hosted 25 events during FGLI Week which included our Annual Flower Truck Bouquet Giveaway on National First-Generation College Celebration Day (Nov 8), a Brunch and Networking Event with First-Generation Harvard Alumni, and a FGLI and Faculty Dinner. There were also several socials, open community spaces, and career development workshops offered across the week thanks to our campus partners! Throughout the year, we hosted additional programming designed with FGLI students in mind like the FGLI LinkedIn Workshop and a FGLI Harvard Trivia Night. As with all of the programs that we offer, these events were open to all HUID holders. Assistant Director for Student Programming Marvin Baclig presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Conference about the Harvard Foundation’s initiatives in supporting first-generation and/or low-income students.

Undocumented Student Support

During a year filled with uncertainty and change, the Harvard Foundation continued to regularly convene the College's Undocumented/DACA Students Working Group, which brings together the Harvard Representation Initiative and college partners offices to support and coordinate advising for undocumented immigrant students. Associate Director Matias Ramos held individual consultations with 30+ students, and our office collaborated with Act on a Dream on a Know-Your-Rights workshop in February. Matias presented the Harvard Foundation's student support model at the Harvard-wide Equity Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Forum and at the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators National Conference.

Mindfulness & Meditation

We recognize the important role that mindful and meditative practices can play in people’s lives, and our office partners with the Center for Wellness and Health Promotion and the Harvard Meditation Club to hold space for these groups to host classes and sessions in the Serenity Room located in Grays Hall. This room can also be used as a space for rest, reflection, or prayer. It is available to all students during open office hours.

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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Leadership & Student Development Student Advisory Committee

The 2024- 2025 year was defined by community, culture, and resilience. The SAC Board, supported by Harvard Foundation full-time staff, proudly funded 105 events and supported 50 student organizations that celebrated cultural diversity, highlighted academic excellence, and fostered pathways to pre-professional success. These events, open to the entire Harvard community, reflected the richness and breadth of student life across campus. Looking ahead, we remain committed to supporting initiatives that celebrate identity, create connection, and bring communities together.

Grant Awardees

Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association Association of Black Harvard Women Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association Association of Students at Harvard College Harvard-Radcliffe RAZA Bengali Association of Students at Harvard College Harvard Society of Black Scientists and Engineers Black Arts Collective Harvard Undergraduate Association of Ghanaian Students Eleganza Harvard Undergraduate Black Community Leaders Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association Harvard Undergraduate Black Health Advocates Fuerza Latina Harvard Undergraduate Black Pre-Law Association Greener Scott Scholars Harvard Undergraduate Black Premedical Society Harvard African Students Association Harvard Undergraduate Brazilian Association Harvard Asian American Dance Troupe Harvard Undergraduate Central Asian Students Association Harvard Black Men's Forum Harvard Undergraduate Francophone Society Harvard Black Muslim Collective Harvard Undergraduate Latina Empowerment and Development Harvard Black Students Association Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association Harvard Breakers Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee Harvard Caribbean Club Harvard Undergraduate South Asian Women's Collective Harvard College Act on a Dream Student Organization Harvard College Generational African American Students Harvard Undergraduate South Asians for Forward-Thinking Advocacy and Research Association Harvard Undergraduate Ukraine Solidarity Group Harvard College Nigerian Student Association Harvard Undergraduate Woodbridge International Society Harvard College Pakistani Students' Association Harvard Vietnamese Association Harvard College Queer Students Association Latinas Unidas de Harvard Harvard Dominican Students Association Natives at Harvard College Harvard Hillel Society of Arab Students Harvard Islamic Society The Cuban American Undergraduate Student Association Harvard Latine in Health Careers The Kuumba Singers of Harvard College Harvard PRIMUS

Individual Advising Opportunities

Our full-time staff are dedicated to providing students with personalized advising and mentorship support. Senior Director Habiba Braimah and Associate Director Matias Ramos served as PreConcentration Advisors to support students in their transition to college life, explore their academic interests, and plan their course of study. In November, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager Anna Mei Gubbins copublished a chapter on student support in Higher Education Institutions entitled “Championing Disruptive Dreaming Among Students: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Adult Allies” with Myers Press.

Student Leadership Awards

Each year, the Dean of Students Office celebrates individuals and student organizations from across the College who demonstrate outstanding leadership. Two of the awards are connected to the Harvard Foundation and our mission. This year, the Harvard Foundation is proud to recognize Anapaula Barba ’25, Cody Chou ’25, and Byron Gonzalez ’25 as recipients of the Distinguished Senior Award, and Nathalie Arruda Milbradt ’26, Ericka Familia ’25, and Kawsar Yasin ’26 as recipients of the Harvard Foundation Insignia Award.

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

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The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations Creating Community Across Cultures

Support Our Work Your support allows the Harvard Foundation to carry out our mission and enrich students’ experiences at Harvard. A portion of the Foundation’s annual budget comes from the support of alumni and friends in the form of individual gifts made to fund 330050 — The Harvard Foundation Fund.

Connect

Check our out website at harvardfoundation.fas.harvard.edu

All gifts to the Harvard Foundation are tax-deductible and eligible for Harvard College Fund class credit. Donations by check should be made out to Harvard College, with fund number 330050 written on the memo line.

Checks can be mailed to: The Harvard Foundation 7 Harvard Yard Grays Hall, Lower Level Cambridge, MA 02138

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For Credit Card donations: Please go to the Harvard College Giving Page and choose “OTHER” in the Select Fund drop down menu. Write 330050 in the Other Fund Name field to ensure that your gift is allocated to the Harvard Foundation.

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We are so grateful for your contributions toward our meaningful work.

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