A household at School when home is distant

Every Thanksgiving, a small group of international College students makes their way to Diane Gallagher’s residence in Brookline to enjoy homemade turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, while sharing the narratives behind their home countries’ flags.

Isa Salmanu ’28 from Nigeria joined the group last November, accompanied by peers from Argentina, Honduras, Portugal, and Spain. “The gathering was vibrant and full, as Diane had included her neighbors and children. It felt like an enormous, warm assembly,” remarked the Pennypacker Hall resident. “We chatted about a little bit of everything.”

This custom is just one of the many that Gallagher and her two daughters continue to uphold since she became one of the founding members of the Harvard Host Family Program over four decades ago.

The initiative started in the late 1970s to connect new international students with local families linked to Harvard. Managed by the College’s First-Year Experience office, this program includes few formal stipulations. Host families often share meals with students, observe holidays together, and most importantly, assist them in adapting to life at Harvard.

Gallagher, who was previously married to a Harvard Medical School graduate, became one of the initial volunteers after expressing the need to support incoming students from Africa to the secretary of former President Derek Bok. She established hosting first-years as a family custom, with her daughters, Maura and Claire, becoming part of the initiative when Diane relocated to Cape Verde to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer between 1990 and 1992.

Since then, the trio estimates they have aided numerous students in acclimating to campus life.

“It’s genuinely been such a marvelous thread in the fabric of the Gallaghers’ lives,” expressed Maura Gallagher. “It’s something that we all cherish tremendously.”

Kevin Burke ’66 began hosting students in the 1980s. He paused his participation in the program while nurturing his own family but resumed when he and his spouse became empty nesters. “This time, I could invest more time and energy into it,” he shared.

Burke detailed his three-step approach to meeting his new students. Initially, he collects them at Logan Airport and drives them to campus. “It’s simply a lot of fun and a unique experience to share in the anticipation, especially in situations where students have never even visited Boston or the United States prior,” he stated.

Following that, Burke takes students shopping for dorm necessities and assists them with their move-in.

“It’s truly uplifting, and for me, it’s a blend of nostalgia, hope, and fidelity to my College,” remarked the Massachusetts native, who played defenseman for the men’s ice hockey team for two years.

Polina Galouchko ’23 from Moscow reminisces about how appreciative she felt for Burke during her initial days in Cambridge.

“In the first few days, he really handled everything,” noted Galouchko, presently a graduate student in political science who has maintained contact with Burke. “I was completely oblivious to where to find things, and he took me shopping and showed me the campus. It was simply extraordinary and incredibly supportive.”

Nekesa Straker, senior assistant dean of residential life and first-year students, reported that this year, 142 families volunteered to host 174 undergraduates, including 98 international students. An extra 65 students were placed on a waiting list, underscoring the demand for more hosts.

“Our hope is genuinely for them to establish a connection with the students. This can include dining out, enjoying coffee, addressing inquiries, or simply serving as an additional resource,” Straker mentioned. The First-Year Experience office also provides chances for hosts and students to connect during family weekends or at different sporting events on campus.

Reisa Volkert, whose spouse, L. John Volkert ’56, is an alumnus, along with Sheila Thimba, the College’s dean of administration and finance, have developed close bonds with all the students they have hosted, many of whom they see frequently.

Thimba, who was once an international student herself at St. Elizabeth University in Morristown, N.J., originating from Kenya, recalled the feelings of being in a foreign land away from family and friends.

Over the last ten years, she and her spouse, George, have welcomed numerous students, mostly from Africa, and they maintain relationships with many even long after they graduate. With every new student, she promptly adds them to her host family WhatsApp group.

“They might claim that’s actually more significant to them than conversing with us older individuals,” Thimba humorously remarked. “We’re helpful for airport pickups or guiding them to Target. But primarily, they get acquainted with one another. That has proven incredibly beneficial.”

She highlighted that previous students who have completed their studies and returned to Kenya formed a “farewell committee” for first-year students departing for Cambridge.

In a similar vein, Volkert, who primarily hosts students from Africa, has made it her mission to link each incoming group of students with others who have come before them and constitute her extended host family.

Once these students arrive at Harvard, she takes them out for dinners and shopping as needed. “For me, this truly works well in terms of being that supportive figure or addressing their needs,” she expressed.

“It’s like a second family here in the United States,” expressed Kwame Boateng ’28, one of Volkert’s students this year. “Reisa embodies a mother figure to us, and the other members of the host family are akin to siblings. I cherish them dearly. We gather every two weeks for dinner, allowing us to reconnect outside the academic environment.”

“It’s like a second family here in the United States. Reisa embodies a mother figure to us, and the other members of the host family are akin to siblings.”

Kwame Boateng

Boateng and Emmanuel Muriuki ’28, who is partnered with Thimba, acknowledged their host mothers for alerting them about Boston’s harsh winter conditions. Muriuki, who hails from Kirinyaga County in Kenya, mentioned he had “no clue where to begin” regarding finding warm attire.

Thimba accompanied him and other host students on a shopping spree to procure jackets and accessories that Muriuki began layering on as temperatures fell this autumn.

Two of Burke’s students, Galouchko and Sasha Khalo ’28 from Ukraine, recounted the lasting and affectionate interactions he has had with them and their families.

When Khalo arrived in Boston alongside her mother and sister, they had the opportunity to meet Burke. “He was exceptionally considerate,” she noted. “Being a photographer, he captured professional images of us, creating lasting memories.”

Since then, Burke has kept Khalo’s family informed about her experiences at Harvard through emails and photographs.

Burke attended Galouchko’s wedding in New Hampshire the summer following her graduation, utilizing a drone equipped with a camera to record key moments from the celebration, which he later presented to the newlyweds as a gift.

“It was extraordinarily special, as we hadn’t anticipated that he was doing that. Six months afterward, he surprised us by saying, ‘Alright, here’s my gift to you both!’” she recounted. “So many meaningful moments were captured from above, making it a truly unique and thoughtful present.”

Alumni, faculty, staff, and other affiliates interested in becoming hosts can inquire with the First-Year Experience office.