Westmont Magazine Political Science Alumni Begin Postgraduate Studies at Harvard

by Kelly Vivanco ’25

HUGH GRANT-CHAPMAN ’18 and OLIVIA REICHWALD ’21 began graduate school at Harvard University this fall: he at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and she at Harvard Law School.

“I would love to see more Westmont students living on the East Coast,” Grant-Chapman says.

Both students say they felt thoroughly prepared for Harvard, expressing much gratitude to the faculty in Westmont’s Political Science Department. In particular, they credit Professor Jesse Covington with encouraging them to pursue studies at Harvard.

Off-campus programs played a major role in both their degree paths. Reichwald’s San Francisco internship at a public defender’s office first aroused her interest in law her junior year. Similarly, Grant Chapman says his semesters abroad in Istanbul and East Asia profoundly shaped his interests and goals.

At Harvard, Reichwald has been grateful for the way small Westmont classes prepared her for Socratic dialogue. “Speaking up in class and having pushback on your thoughts is a really valuable thing professionally and personally,” she says, noting that her peers from large state schools have less experience discussing issues in class.

Reichwald and Grant-Chapman have also enjoyed interacting with Harvard’s student body, including its Christian community. “What has surprised me the most is how nice everyone is,” Reichwald said. “You hear horror stories from other law schools, but it’s not competitive.”

Reichwald’s interest in criminal defense and international law may lead her into diplomacy in the future. Grant-Chapman hopes to end up in digital civil rights, possibly with the State Department, the United Nations or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Both students are excited to engage in Harvard’s network of partners, organizations that provide opportunities for realworld research and work.

Grant-Chapman emphasizes how vital such work is: “We need good people in the government who are making smart decisions,” he says. To encourage others, he adds, “You can go into policy. It’s attainable.”