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The Fellows

The Fellows are selected from both undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard and other area universities. They demonstrate a particular interest in the Catholic intellectual and cultural tradition’s engagement with scholarship, the arts, and the professions. Click here to learn more.

2023-24 UnderGRaduate Fellows

LYLENA D. ESTABINE

LYLENA D. ESTABINE

Harvard College ‘24

LyLena Estabine, originally from Kansas, is a senior studying Sociology. Her research focuses on urban sociology, the non-profit industrial complex in international development, and community-engaged design. Her creative endeavors seek to connect interdisciplinary inquiry with modes of presentation accessible to people of all backgrounds, such as music, theater, and poetry. Her most recent creative project, Songs of Prophets, seeks to write a contemporary worship song for each of the Biblical prophets, the first volume of which is on all major streaming platforms. At Harvard, she led the initiative to write and implement a new, more inclusive student government, the Harvard Undergraduate Association, for which she was also the Student Body Co-President in its inaugural year. Her work has previously been recognized through awards such as the 2020 Harvard Creativity Award and the 2022 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service. As an HCF fellow, she looks forward to learning more about the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and finding new ways to more fruitfully share the beauty of the Church with the world.

OLIVIA GLUNZ

OLIVIA GLUNZ

Harvard College '25

Olivia Glunz is a junior studying History and Classics at Harvard College. She enjoys reading and writing about philosophy, literature, and political theory and plans to pursue a career in law, academia, or public service. On campus, Olivia plays the violin in a student-run chamber ensemble, writes for the Harvard Undergraduate Law Review, and leads a discussion group on natural law. She is also an active member of the Harvard Catholic Center, where she leads a Bible study for undergraduates and sings in the choir. This year, Olivia looks forward to exploring questions about science and faith, grace and free will, and human dignity through the Harvard Catholic Forum's many programs and events. She is grateful for this opportunity to deepen her faith and her love for both God and neighbor.

CARTER STEWART

CARTER STEWART

Harvard College '25

Carter Stewart is a junior at Harvard College studying Classics with a secondary in Statistics. Carter is interested in a wide range of topics in history, philosophy, literature, and politics, and how the vibrant Catholic intellectual tradition influences and changes our understanding of them all. Outside of academics, he is a member of the John Adams Society, plays club lacrosse, and enjoys reading, weightlifting, and spending time on the water.

JACOB GENUALDI

JACOB GENUALDI

Harvard College ‘25

Jacob Genualdi is a junior studying Economics and Government at Harvard College. On campus, he serves as Co-President of the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association where he helps organize college-wide speaker events and economics competitions for high school students. In addition, Jacob is an active member of the Harvard Catholic Center, leading a Bible study for undergraduates. Originally from Durango, Colorado, he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and playing piano in his free time. As an HCF Fellow, Jacob is excited to explore Thomistic thought surrounding Theological Economics and its application to modern economic life.
ELLIOTT JONES

ELLIOTT JONES

Boston College ‘26

Elliott Jones is a sophomore at Boston College studying Philosophy and Theology. He is interested in the history of philosophy, and he hopes to pursue a career in academia. Beyond his studies, Elliott serves as a General Editor for Dianoia, Boston College's undergraduate philosophy journal, and he is actively involved with the Boisi Center for Religion and Public Life. Additionally, he participates in Campus Ministry with Appa Volunteers and is a leader for the Christian Life Community. As a recent convert to Catholicism, Elliott is looking forward to engaging in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and expanding his understanding of the Faith and its application to his studies.

2023-24 GRaduate Fellows

HASSAN AHMAD

HASSAN AHMAD

MTS '24 Harvard Divinity School

Hassan Ahmad is pursuing an MTS at Harvard Divinity School, studying Arabic Christianity and Christian-Muslim relations. He is a 2021 graduate of Princeton, where he concentrated in political theory and medieval studies. He is married to the love of his life, Caroline Ortiz, whom he met while they were students at Princeton. While there, Hassan was a leader in the Catholic chaplaincy, head of the Cliosophic Party of the American Whig Cliosophic Society (the oldest debating and literary union in the country), and the vice president of Princeton Pro Life. Prior to coming to HDS, Hassan worked as a research assistant in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame on projects associated with Islamic Studies and the Qur'an. Hassan is passionate about the historical study of scriptures, Patristic theology, and Christian localism. In his hometown of Jackson, Michigan he sat on the Human Relations Commission and sought through this office to improve the lives of his neighbors. He hopes in the future to contribute to the advancement of Christian communities in the Middle East and Asia, and to his own local community in the United States, especially by sharing the light and love of the Lord with all those he is passionate about helping. In his spare time Hassan enjoys spending time with his wife, playing basketball, and reading Dostoevsky.
SEA YUN PIUS JOUNG

SEA YUN PIUS JOUNG

MTS ‘24, Harvard Divinity School

Sea Yun Pius Joung holds the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship and is pursuing an MTS at Harvard Divinity School, focusing on intellectual currents in the Mediterranean of Late Antiquity. Throughout his schooling across four continents, Pius has been fascinated by texts and traditions that have vitality and develop across time and space. He holds a B.A. in Theology and Religion from the University of Oxford, where his undergraduate thesis on the Ecclesiological Exegesis of the Song of Songs by St. Cyprian of Carthage won the top thesis award. His thesis prompted him to consider the profound question of Unity, and how physical distance can be overcome through the Communion of the Church. His research at Harvard will focus on the sacramental character of friendship in the Early Church and explore how the love between friends can be a visible conduit of inward and invisible grace, especially for Origen, Evagrius, and St. Maximus Confessor. During his free time, Pius is an avid reader of the Communio journal, plays chess, and chairs the Ratzinger Memorial Society of Harvard.
RYAN PINO

RYAN PINO

PhD '24, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

A PhD candidate in Comparative Theology, Ryan Pino researches the historical development of Christianity in China through engagement with Chinese traditions like Confucianism. His work aims to spotlight the remarkable lives and legacies of Chinese Christians throughout history and to explore how inter-religious dialogue can enrich theological reflection on the mission of the Church. Ryan holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Belmont University, an M.A. in Chinese Philosophy from Fudan University in Shanghai, and an M.A.R. in World Christianity from Yale Divinity School. Having grown up in mostly Evangelical and Southern Baptist circles, Ryan was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 2020 at St. Paul’s. His wife, Yiyi, a graduate student in Theology at Boston College, also came into the Catholic Church from an Evangelical background. Together, they have a heart for promoting deeper dialogue, understanding, and unity among all Christians.
JORDAN VANDERPOOL

JORDAN VANDERPOOL

PhD ‘28, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Jordan Vanderpool is a PhD candidate in Romance Languages and Literatures, with a focus in Medieval Spanish Literature. He is interested in the influence of secular and ecclesiastical legal texts on 13th and 14th century Iberian literature. He holds a B.A. in Great Texts and University Scholars, and a Masters in Spanish, both from Baylor University in Waco, TX. Jordan envisions his time in the Harvard Catholic Forum as an opportunity to learn from Catholic authors, poets, and mystics alongside other Catholics, and to foster his intellectual and spiritual growth in community. Outside his professional and academic interests, Jordan enjoys mountain biking, foraging for wild edible plants, and spending time with his wife Annie.
BORIS HOUENOU

BORIS HOUENOU

MPA ‘24, Harvard Kennedy School

Boris Houenou is an economist with over 10 years of experience spanning diverse areas such as economic policy, digital economy, infrastructure development, global trade, and AI/ML. He has advised governments worldwide on digital economy and inclusive growth strategies and he has partnered with private entities to transform the agribusiness sector in emerging markets. His work at a Silicon Valley company facilitated access to broadband internet for millions globally. Boris was a keynote speaker at various conferences, and he is a Senior Advisor at Africatalyst, a top global development advisory company. He is also a founding partner at Goldbricks Ventures. He is married to Ecce Houenou. He holds a PhD in Economics from Washington State University and is currently pursuing an MPA at Harvard Kennedy School, where he is the Editor-in-Chief of the Africa Policy Journal.
REED MORGAN

REED MORGAN

PhD ‘25, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Reed Morgan is a PhD candidate in History, with a focus on migration and cultural interactions between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. His research seeks to integrate traditional philology and text-based historical analysis with innovative advances in archaeological science, including ancient DNA and paleoclimatology. He holds a B.A. from Yale University in Archaeological Studies, and M.Phil. degrees from the University of Cambridge in Archaeological Science and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. Outside his primary areas of research, Reed is interested in philosophy of history and the dialogue between theology and the natural sciences. He is a convert to Roman Catholicism. He is also an amateur beachcomber, birder, and botanist, and delights in both the beauty and order of Creation.
MICHELLE VACCARO

MICHELLE VACCARO

PhD ‘26, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Michelle Vaccaro is a PhD candidate in MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), pursuing research focused on combining human and artificial intelligence in sociotechnical systems. Before joining MIT, she lived in New York City and worked at Goldman Sachs in foreign exchange strategy and structuring. Michelle earned her A.B. from Harvard College in 2019, where she concentrated in Computer Science with a secondary in History of Science and a citation in Spanish. St. Paul’s has tremendously nurtured and nourished Michelle during her time at Harvard, on Wall Street, and now in graduate school. As an HCF Fellow, she looks forward to bringing many more people into the spiritual and intellectual community that has given her so much.
DEVAN ZALLA

DEVAN ZALLA

MPP ‘24, Harvard Kennedy School

Devan Zalla is pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree at Harvard, with a concentration in International and Global Affairs. He hopes to leverage his studies to enter a career in the Federal Civil Service, focusing on US foreign policy and national security issues. He received his B.A. from George Washington University, concentrating in International Relations and Arabic. Before starting at Harvard, Devan worked in federal contracting and served in the US Army Reserves.

2023-24 Postdoctoral Fellow

THOMAS SANTA MARIA

THOMAS SANTA MARIA

Yang Visiting Scholar in World Christianity, Harvard Divinity School

Tom Santa Maria is a Yang Visiting Scholar in World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School. He completed his PhD in History and Renaissance Studies at Yale University. He also holds an M.T.S. from Boston College, and a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in Classics and History. In the academic year 2022-2023, he was Interim Dean of Silliman College at Yale. He has taught courses in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition at Yale and at Sacred Heart University, as well as courses on Jesuit Missions. His research is on the body, the senses, and Catholicism in the Early Modern World. Outside of research and teaching, Tom devotes much of his time to his passion for Track and Field as a coach and official.

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