Ash Community Speaker Series -- Katihar to Kennedy School: A Former Mason Fellow’s Journey

Date: 

Friday, April 19, 2019, 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Ash Center Foyer, 124 Mount Auburn St., Floor 2, Suite 200N

Former Mason Fellow Sanjay Kumar will recount his journey from India to the Harvard Kennedy School, with excerpts from his new memoir, Katihar to Kennedy: The Road Less Travelled.  He will discuss his humble beginnings and the various obstacles he faced and opportunities he seized along the way to continuing his studies at HKS and his life beyond. Tim Glynn-Burke, Ash Center Executive Director, Programs, will moderate. 

Lunch will be served.

Sanjay KumarSanjay Kumar earned a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, a Masters in Political Science from the University of Delhi, and a Mid-Career Master’s in Public Administration as a Mason Fellow from Harvard Kennedy School. He is currently the India Country Director for the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University. He spent about two decades working with the SEWA Movement, an initiative that organizes poor women workers throughout India in the informal economy and helps them work towards improving their lives and livelihoods. He also photographed the lives of women workers and creating an exhibition titled, ‘Hands of Hopes’ that was showcased in many locations, including the House of Commons, London. He serves as a volunteer Senior Advisory Board Member for SPEAK Mentorship, which helps first generation and immigrant girls in the U.S. navigate their dual identities.

About the Ash Center Community Speaker Series 

The Ash Community Speaker Series features discussions with students, faculty, fellows, and alumni whose research or other academic work is supported by the Ash Center. The series is a forum to discuss new ideas, innovative work, and ongoing projects that are related to the Ash Center's mission to make the world a better place by advancing excellence and innovation in governance and public policy through research, education, and public discussion.