Fifteen Superlative Seniors
Most School Spirit: Uzma Issa
Uzma’s bucket list is taking her all across Harvard’s campus. A pottery class in Allston. The Kirkland Choosening. Currioke Night. Looking at the Andromeda Galaxy from the Harvard Observatory. Performing magic tricks and stand-up comedy at Lowell’s Coffee House on Tuesday.
Most Chronically Online: Brady Connolly
Brady may be one of Harvard’s leading ethnographers. From rowers and tourists to Insomnia Cookies and Amorino Gelato, no person or corporation in the Harvard area is below his scrutiny on X.
Class Clown: Gibson Bartlett
Though Gibson was awarded Class Clown, he toyed with the idea of changing his title to “Voice of a Generation,” which I would have endorsed, or “Best Hair,” which he could have easily won, with or without endorsement.
Most Likely to Be President: Laila Nasher
Laila’s interest in political organizing is deeply personal. She grew up in a socially conservative Yemeni-American community in Detroit where most young people did not attend college.
Biggest Flirt: Adam Mohamed
How did he come to be this way? Adam reckons he may have been born with the kiss of Cupid on his cheek. “I crawled out of my mother’s womb and winked at the doctor,” he says, laughing.
Most Mysterious: Casey Murray
Casey understands why an “air of mystique” might surround him, citing the prevalence of his recorder playing, his habit of running to class, and his defiance of New England winters, which he explains are no match for the brutal midwestern winters he grew up with. But he says that he’s “actually just a pretty normal person” with an “undue, perhaps, emphasis on the bit.”
Renaissance Person: Zach Halberstam
In many ways, Zach’s experience at Harvard has been negotiating between the sciences and the humanities, applying a precise mathematical mind to creative pursuits. Zach is a mathematician. He is a lyricist. He is a physicist, occasionally. He is a saxophone player. He is a stage director and staple of the Leverett dining hall.
Best Advice Giver: Imaan Mirza
She may be optimistic, but Imaan doesn’t just tell people what they want to hear. “I’m a very blunt person,” she explains.
Life of the Party: Shmuel Padwa
When I contacted Shmu to arrange an interview for this article, he replied that he was “actively boarding” a flight to Berlin. A week or so before, he’d bumped into some friends who told him that Berlin would be crazy for the 35-year anniversary of the wall falling and that flights were also cheap. Shmu’s reaction? “Sick, that sounds awesome.”
Best Dressed: Primo Lagaso-Goldberg
Last year, Primo says, their style was more edgy. They used to wear eyeliner every day, and their wardrobe had (well, technically, still has) an abundance of black clothing. Nowadays, you might not see them sporting black eyeliner everyday, but they always stay true to what they “feel good wearing, no matter what aesthetic that borrows from.”
Most Chill: Ethan Phan
Ethan N. Phan ’25 wants people to know that just because he’s chill, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about anything. “That’s a common misconception of chillness,” he tells me, talking at a slow, unhurried pace, sporting a hoodie and a mullet.
Most Iconic Duo: Chase Melton and Tamar Sella
It all started with a party in Hurlbut at which the two arrived dressed in the exact same clothes: velvet pants, white tank top, dark hair slicked back dramatically.
Most Interesting Thesis: Sabrina Freidus
Ironically, Sabrina got the idea for her thesis from a joke her friend made. “One of my friends was like, ‘Sabrina, you should write your thesis about toilets or about poop.’ And I was like, ‘I will.’ And that’s what I ended up choosing.”
Most Whimsical: Ben Cammarata
For Ben, whimsy is inseparable from authenticity. “You know, this could potentially be perceived as ugly,” he says, gesturing to his shirt, frogs jubilantly prominent, “but I like it, so that’s all that matters.”
Unsung Hero: Hana Rehman
Rehman’s said her leadership in the South Asian campus community was the result of persistence. “Showing up was really hard. There was a lot happening in my life and in other people’s lives and in the world. But showing up is half the battle,” she explains.
