Tomorrow the Class of 1996 faces the Real World. Some seniors will take the traditional routes of medicine and law, others the popular consulting option. Still others will strike out on their own.

Harvard is well-known for churning out investment bankers, lawyers and doctors and pumping them through Johnston Gate each June.

But not all members of the graduating Class of 1996 are heading straight for Wall Street and graduate school. Some have followed Robert Frost's advice and taken the road less traveled.

Changing the World, One Country at a Time

Kathleen R. Hartnett '96 never dreamed that focusing on American law as a government concentrator would help her to land a position in diplomacy, but it did.

Beginning this September, Hartnett will be using her political know-how to navigate her way around the American Embassy in Paris as an intern.

She expects to work in the political section of the embassy where she will be dealing with diplomats and preparing daily cables to send to the United States on French politics.

As a student, Hartnett was involved in Harvard's Model United Nations program, although academically she focused primarily on American politics. Until this internship opportunity, she says, "I never thought of really combining the two interests."

Originally, Hartnett planned to study American law at Harvard Law School next fall. She now thinks she might study international law when she returns to Harvard in the fall of 1997.

Hartnett is excited about going abroad, despite the language barrier.

She took French all through high school and as a first-year at Harvard, but she says her language skills need a bit of polishing.

She was able to practice her French while in France for two days backpacking before this academic year. Though she says that wasn't enough time to really experience all France has to offer.

"I want to immerse myself in the culture," she says.

Changing the World, One Race at a Time

Originally, Gregory M. Ruckman '96 was recruited by Harvard as a distance runner. But during his first year here, while running along the river, this midwesterner became intrigued by those rowing past him. One day he walked into the boat house and started asking questions.

"They had me out on the water the next day," he says. He has been rowing ever since.

Ruckman's experience as a lightweight member of Harvard crew, including the men's varsity team that won first place at last year's collegiate nationals, has unearthed a love for crew so intense he can't let the sport go.

He has decided to compete solo after graduation in hopes of making the United States National Crew Team next spring.

He will spend this year almost exclusively in training, first on his own, then continuing in the winter with the coach from the national team.

He says, "You can't afford when you are training full-time to do much work." He adds that "rowers are notorious for being poor."

A man of simple needs, Ruckman looks forward to camping with his fellow rowers along the edges of lakes and rivers.

Ruckman says he is willing to make such sacrifices for crew because of the personal satisfaction it gives him.

"Crew is a constant experiment, a constant learning process," Ruckman says. "Crew is at heart a very simple sport; you can learn in a day, and it takes a lifetime to master." He says that is why "it is always a challenge."

Ruckman believes his year on the river will be "a good break from academics for me. Everyone encourages you to take a year or two years off. This gives me time to ponder."

He says he is unsure of what he wants to do after rowing, but the believes this experience will influence his career goals. Though business or law school have both crossed his mind, he says, "It would be really neat to coach internationally."

But it may well be a while before he does anything but row. Ruckman cites the "outside chance that I will stick around for four years and make a shot at the 2000 Olympics."

Changing the World, One Rock at a Time

Allison E. Rainey '96 says rock climbing "is the most absolutely demanding combination of mental and physical."

Rainey began climbing her senior year in high school after a friend who climbed suggested she try it. By the time he quit soon after, she was already eagerly engrossed in learning more about the sport from other climbers.

Though she has never had a lesson, she says she was ranked 40th in the country during her sophomore year. In recent competitions in New York and Connecticut she has taken first and third respectively.

But Rainey's path as a climber is not always uphill. She says she falls often and that the sport takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

After her sophomore year, Rainey decided climbing had taken "too much commitment and mental strain." She says she stopped climbing for three months because she felt she needed time to focus on school.

But she wasn't able to stay away from climbing. Continuing her commitment to the sport, she kept climbing at least twice a week while writing her senior thesis in history. She says climbing gives her something to look forward to.

Once her thesis was handed in she started climbing up to four days a week. She gets up at 5:30 most mornings to run three miles.

She also works as a classroom assistant and physical education teacher at a school for mentally disturbed children in Needham. She works with a class of nine children, ranging in age from 11 to 13.

Although she is enjoying her job now, Rainey says she hopes to attend graduate school in psychology within the next couple of years.

She says she is eager to move out West to study because of the opportunities for climbing. "It is definitely like a religion," she says.

Citing a desire to help others, Rainey says she will not limit her life to climbing alone. "Climbing doesn't really do anybody any good except me," Rainey says.

Instead she has focused on a vision of using climbing to help other people.

After taking the children she has worked with this year rock climbing, Rainey says she realized the sport builds self-esteem. "All their problems were forgotten," she says.

Ultimately, she would like to coordinate climbing workshops to help female victims of abuse build positive self-images, push their personal limits and foster supportive relationships with each other.

She says she thinks climbing has the potential to help people feel better about themselves. "I know it changed me," she says. "I was a very different person before I started rock climbing."

Changing the World, One Person at a Time

Sarah A. Schmidt '96, doesn't know anyone who has is HIV-positive. But that is about to change.

Schmidt will spend next year in Hoboken, N.J. volunteering as a case manager for HIV-positive individuals without health insurance.

The history and science concentrator will advise clients on the tests they will need and the steps they can take to keep themselves as healthy as possible.

As a sophomore, Schmidt used her Fuller Grant to study the role the media plays in the portrayal of AIDS. She says she believes the Hoboken job is a good opportunity to learn about the disease and the people touched by it.

"I am really excited about it because it is a chance to get some real experience helping people," Schmidt says. "In some capacity I am going to be able to make a difference in some person's life."