“My aspirations have always been to get into politics, into public service,” said Selvaggi, who previously ran a small business that sells children’s toys. “My hope in going to the Kennedy School was to learn how policy affects the business climate and the climate of serving the average citizen.”

Heroux said he also saw the Kennedy School as sort of a primer in politics. He decided to pursue a Masters in Public Administration “because that was a very flexible program where I could take courses on a wide variety of different things that concern the public sector, stuff that I didn’t have much of a background in,” he said.

Congressman James R. Langevin enrolled at the Kennedy School while serving as a representative in Rhode Island’s State House because he “was looking to become a better legislator,” he said.

While Langevin said he does not lead off his stump speech with a reference to his Cambridge days, Langevin is adamant that his experience at Harvard has been a great asset.

“I learned valuable lessons about decision making and governance in general,” he said.

“I’m always proud to say that I went to the Kennedy School.”