PBHA Volunteer Enrollment Spikes to Highest Number Since Covid-19

Volunteer enrollment at the Harvard Philips Brooks House Association has reached a record high since the Covid-19 pandemic after leadership members implemented efforts to engage more students in its programs.

This semester, PBHA has approximately 1,250 volunteers enrolled across its 86 student-led public service programs, the largest cohort the organization has seen since Covid-19. Incoming PBHA president Tiffany V. Tran ’28 attributed the influx to an intentional effort from the organization to recruit new volunteers, especially freshmen.

Tran highlighted the position of Volunteer Engagement Officer, which the organization piloted two years ago, as a factor in the rise in engagement.

“The Volunteer Engagement Officer, as the name suggests, does everything with engaging volunteers,” Tran said. “That means creating more social opportunities for volunteers to come into PBHA and to reflect, to enjoy good food, just meet everyone around them.”

Caroline R. Kramer ’29, who currently holds the Volunteer Engagement Officer position, said her work has focused on leading new events and programming, but added that recruitment has been an “organization-wide effort.”

“We have poured a lot of energy this year and last through the new volunteer engagement position, through initiatives and information sessions, and honestly through directors who’ve been putting an enormous amount of work into recruiting,” Kramer said.

Leadership members also attributed the rise in volunteers to increased student awareness of issues faced by residents of the Greater Boston Area.

“I think that students are really recognizing that there’s an immense need in the community, and that’s why we’re seeing record numbers of volunteers,” Ben A. Abbott ’28, PBHA’s outgoing Programming Chair, said.

Several freshmen said they joined PBHA programs initially based on their personal passions.

Victor B. Hsu ’30, a member of HARMONY, a program that provides free music lessons to low-income K-12 mentees, said he was drawn to the program’s teaching aspect and its commitment to the arts.

“Being in that program specifically, there’s a lot of other people that also think like me,” Hsu said. “They’re really appreciative of the lessons that they got when they were a kid, and so they want to give that back to other people as well.”

Julia J. Lee ’30 said her passion for science and teaching led her to the ExperiMentors program.

“I genuinely love seeing kids get excited over things that may seem simple or mundane to us,” Lee wrote. “Right now, it doesn’t overlap with other obligations, but it is definitely a priority for me to find time to inspire younger scientists and learners.”

Others said they joined PBHA because they were inspired by volunteer work they had done before high school and by their peers’ involvement in different programs.

“I did a lot of volunteer work,” Joshua T. Oh ’30. “I found it to be a really rewarding experience, and I wanted to continue that in college, where I could do more in-person events and at my own time.”

Volunteering for PBHA also offers students the ability to “escape what some might say is the Harvard bubble,” according to volunteer Scott C. Yamaoka ’29.

“I’m very passionate both in terms of teaching and also being able to give back to the bigger community that we’re a part of here,” Yamaoka said.

Volunteer Andy P. Yu ’30 said the time “trade-off” of volunteering was worth it for the “positive impact on just one more kid.”

“In high school, I was always like, ‘Oh I don’t have time, I don’t have time, I don’t have time,’ ” Yu said. “And then now coming into Harvard, it’s like, ‘Oh, okay, this is time to redefine myself, but also consider why I want to be in the clubs that I’m in.’ ”

Yu says PBHA volunteering fulfills his mission to “leave this world better than I found it.”

Current Resource Development Chair and incoming Vice President Frederick “Fred” L. Klein ’28 said service at PBHA has a history of giving students an avenue to advocate for issues they care about, from living wage campaigns to union advocacy.

“I think service feels like something that gives people a way to express their frustration with the world into tangible impact, and that’s what PBHA has been for 120 years,” Klein said.

“I think there’s a lot of people at Harvard that are maybe still waiting for that moment,” he added.