However, her roommates since freshman year, Elly S. Page ’05 and Mariecel C. Pilapas ’05, related greater ambitions.

“Becca’s definitely the only person I’ve ever known who’s taken the idea of actually being president of the U.S. so seriously,” Page wrote in an e-mail. “She already had her campaign slogan freshman year, when she was thinking about running in 2020: ‘Rubins: Perfect Vision in 20/20.’”

“I was, like most people would be, a critic when she first told me about her presidential ambitions,” wrote Pilapas in an e-mail. “But I have never seen Becca give up on anything she has been passionate about, so why should this be any different?”

As Rubins makes the rounds of the War Room on Thursday, she embraces superiors and fellow-volunteers alike.

“Thank you, Rebecca,” someone told her.

She looks directly into the co-worker’s eyes. “No, please, thank you.”

—Staff writer May Habib can be reached at habib@fas.harvard.edu.