Explore every episode of the podcast Harvard IOP Fellows and Study Groups Podcast

In this interview hosted by FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune, Wall Street Journal Executive Washington Editor Gerald Seib reflects on his time at the Institute of Politics, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimism in American politics and our ability to be a nation as one.

“If good people don’t get engaged in politics, then you’re leaving the playing field for not-so-good people. And that’s bad for the country, it’s bad for democracy, it’s bad for the world, and it’s bad for you individually.”

Political manager and analyst Maya Rupert believes that finding one’s purpose is essential to succeeding in politics. In this interview with FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune, she expresses how her time on Capitol Hill has transformed the way that she sees politics.

“Try to resist that temptation to shift who you are in order to fit in somewhere. Find the places that are looking for exactly you.”

In this interview with FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune, Dr. Jody Olsen sits down to discuss how her travels abroad as Peace Corps Director have shaped the way that she sees the world and influenced her approach to the study group.

“There is a spectacular world. We are part of a globe, and we are one nation among many [...] And, it is important for us to humbly and with dignity be in other places, understand other places, give ourselves to other places, and let others help shape us.”

Mayor Kim Janey, the first Black woman mayor of Boston, shares the insights that she brought to the IOP space and the necessity of joy in America’s tumultuous political sphere. She is interviewed by FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune, one of her own liaisons.

“We desperately need people who are committed to tackling these tough persistent challenges. These challenges that are not new, that have been with us for years, decades, and even centuries.”

AAPIVote Co-Founder and Executive Director Christine Chen recounts her stories of engaging with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities around the United States and expanding the importance that she finds in community with FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune.

“Take the time to develop the relationships in everything that you do [...] It’s really about building a community for yourself, so that way you understand who you’re working with, as well as who you’re serving.”

Washington political analyst and communications strategist Brendan Buck shares his experiences interacting with a student body of diverse political ideologies through his study group in this interview with FSG Historian Sebastian Ramirez Feune.

“The people who have gotten the furthest in politics, in the House, were some of the best people I know [...] People want to be around other good people.”