Kathleen Harris, Director, National and International Scholarship Office, Loyola Marymount University
Q: How did you decide to work in the field of fellowships and why do you find it rewarding?
A: I’ve been working in honors administration since 1988. [Yikes.] Fellowship advising has always been a natural part of my job, but at LMU, this is the first time I’ve had the luxury of being able to concentrate just on promoting and nurturing students through the process. I like being around people who aren’t happy with the world yet but figure it’s in their hands to change it. I think that kind of delusional confidence is good for scholarship applicants, good for scholarship advisors, and good for us all, maybe. I am always inspired by the students I advise.
Q: If you could invite three people (living or dead) to dinner who would they be and why?
A: Tenzing Norgay – the other guy who climbed Everest for the first time. I like the idea of doing things because you want to, not necessarily because you will be recognized for it. Samuel Ramey, the opera star, because I have a huge crush on him and would love to make a fool of myself in his presence. John Keats, because I just really love his poetry. I probably also have a crush on him, too. ?
Q: Tell us about a community service project that you currently participate in or have participated in that has meaning for you.
A: I spent last year working in the self-help clinic of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles which organizes at the Labor Commission in LA. We help mainly minimum-wage and immigrant workers file claims for their rights to back wages and overtime.
Q: What are you reading this summer and why?
A: Reading for pleasure: what’s that? I am reading bar review outlines and practice multiple choice questions. The book I will start to read (again) after the bar exam at the end of July is Zadie Smith’s On Beauty. I’ve been on page 10 since I started law school.
Q: If there’s life after fellowship advising, what would you like to do and why?
A: For the first time since 1988, I haven’t had to settle for that vicarious feeling of accomplishment we get when our students graduate – I actually did it myself when I finished my law degree last May. I am taking some time to savor that for the time being.
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