College Corner: Daniel Leonard ’17, Harvard University
Recently, we caught up with Daniel Leonard ’17, a senior at Harvard University majoring in History of Science and Philosophy.
APU: What is your background, and what are you studying now?
DL: Hello, Prep community! My name is Daniel, and I hail from Center City. While at the Prep, I spent three years on the Student Council, as well as four years on the Forensics Speech & Debate team. When I was a junior, I also founded the SJP Model United Nations, which I hear is still going strong today. As of now, I’m a graduating senior at Harvard College pursuing a joint major in the History of Science and Philosophy. Hopefully I’ll be able to graduate on campus — but right now, I’m back at home, taking classes over Zoom.
APU: What has your experience been like at Harvard, and how did the Prep prepare you for college?
DL: In 2018, I picked my unusual major — History of Science — when I realized that I enjoyed learning about science, but wasn’t a huge fan of actually doing science myself. On top of that, I love thinking about life’s biggest questions, so Philosophy was a natural addition. Together, these fields have enabled me to analyze how modern-day developments in science and technology are likely to affect society into the future.
Harvard’s not easy, but I can honestly say that my time at the Prep prepared me well for Harvard’s heavy course load. I graduated from the Prep with effective time-management skills, as well as the ability to write essays clearly and (relatively) quickly. Also, the clubs I participated in at the Prep — especially Speech & Debate — helped me to develop into an effective communicator, which I consider one of life’s most important skills.
APU: What would you like to do after graduation?
DL: In terms of my academic interests, I’m planning to switch gears a bit as I apply to Master’s programs in the U.S. and abroad. While I love my classes at Harvard, I was disappointed to discover that few academics take the time to communicate their research in a way that the public at large can understand. Personally, I think it’s critical to have a well-informed and curious public, so I’m planning to pursue a career in science communication. Be it through TV, radio, or online media, I want to make content about science (and philosophy) which is engaging and accessible to people from all kinds of backgrounds. Helping people to think critically about their role in the world is, I hope, part of the solution to many of modern society’s problems.
APU: As you wrap up your time at Harvard, what are some of upcoming things that are exciting to you?
DL: Besides classwork, I also serve on Harvard’s undergraduate UNICEF Club. Additionally, I’ve done a lot of writing over the past few years — both for The Harvard Crimson and on a freelance basis for the “edutainment” website Grunge. Similarly, I (sporadically) release educational YouTube videos on my channel called The Young Futurist. And, this semester, I’ve been particularly busy working on my senior undergraduate thesis, which will center around the people and facts that Wikipedia leaves out in its effort to spread knowledge to the public.
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APU: What is your background, and what are you studying now?
DL: Hello, Prep community! My name is Daniel, and I hail from Center City. While at the Prep, I spent three years on the Student Council, as well as four years on the Forensics Speech & Debate team. When I was a junior, I also founded the SJP Model United Nations, which I hear is still going strong today. As of now, I’m a graduating senior at Harvard College pursuing a joint major in the History of Science and Philosophy. Hopefully I’ll be able to graduate on campus — but right now, I’m back at home, taking classes over Zoom.
APU: What has your experience been like at Harvard, and how did the Prep prepare you for college?
DL: In 2018, I picked my unusual major — History of Science — when I realized that I enjoyed learning about science, but wasn’t a huge fan of actually doing science myself. On top of that, I love thinking about life’s biggest questions, so Philosophy was a natural addition. Together, these fields have enabled me to analyze how modern-day developments in science and technology are likely to affect society into the future.
Harvard’s not easy, but I can honestly say that my time at the Prep prepared me well for Harvard’s heavy course load. I graduated from the Prep with effective time-management skills, as well as the ability to write essays clearly and (relatively) quickly. Also, the clubs I participated in at the Prep — especially Speech & Debate — helped me to develop into an effective communicator, which I consider one of life’s most important skills.
APU: What would you like to do after graduation?
DL: In terms of my academic interests, I’m planning to switch gears a bit as I apply to Master’s programs in the U.S. and abroad. While I love my classes at Harvard, I was disappointed to discover that few academics take the time to communicate their research in a way that the public at large can understand. Personally, I think it’s critical to have a well-informed and curious public, so I’m planning to pursue a career in science communication. Be it through TV, radio, or online media, I want to make content about science (and philosophy) which is engaging and accessible to people from all kinds of backgrounds. Helping people to think critically about their role in the world is, I hope, part of the solution to many of modern society’s problems.
APU: As you wrap up your time at Harvard, what are some of upcoming things that are exciting to you?
DL: Besides classwork, I also serve on Harvard’s undergraduate UNICEF Club. Additionally, I’ve done a lot of writing over the past few years — both for The Harvard Crimson and on a freelance basis for the “edutainment” website Grunge. Similarly, I (sporadically) release educational YouTube videos on my channel called The Young Futurist. And, this semester, I’ve been particularly busy working on my senior undergraduate thesis, which will center around the people and facts that Wikipedia leaves out in its effort to spread knowledge to the public.
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