As Hurricane Irene moved up the East Coast Saturday and Harvard undergraduates moved back to campus just ahead of the storm, Cabot House Resident Dean Jill Constantino saw some parallels.
“I thought, there is a weird, ominous excitement with the storm and the students coming at the same time, because storms have a lot of beauty and power, and so do students. But storms are also very destructive. Then I stopped myself right there,” she said with a smile.
Constantino and her husband, Michael Baran, and their three children greeted the arriving students in Radcliffe Quad, along with House Masters Stephanie and Rakesh Khurana and two of their three children. Hugs and hellos were punctuated by impromptu races and wrestling by the children. Beginning her second year as House master, Stephanie said she felt a little anxiety about the pending weather but was still excited to hear about the students’ summer experiences.
Jazmin Perez ’12, one of Cabot’s 375 residents, planned to weather the storm by having a sleepover in someone’s room while “watching apocalyptic movies.” Nancy Greene of Short Hills, N.J., packed a flashlight for her son, Sam Waters ’14. She also quipped that she planned to turn around and race back to New Jersey as soon as he was unpacked. Not rushing anywhere was Acky Uzosike ’13, who said he feels like freshman year was just yesterday. “I have to figure out how to slow things down,” he said.
The Khuranas reiterated the goals for Cabot’s residents: academic and intellectual growth, personal wellbeing, and positive social and community experiences. The House masters will encourage students to “self author,” despite not knowing “how their stories will unfold.” The Khuranas hope to help the students to develop resilience — a lesson also learned on a stormy move-in weekend.
The big move
Rose Lincoln/Staff Photographer
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Masters of supplies
House Masters Rakesh (from left) and Stephanie Khurana with daughter Nalini, age 12, move Cabot House supplies across Radcliffe Quadrangle on move-in day at Harvard University. The Khuranas have two other children: Sonia, age 14, and Jai, age 9.
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The long haul
Roommates Olivia Pei '12 (left) and Lisa Akorli '12 greet each other in Radcliffe Quad while hauling dorm items from storage to their room at Cabot House.
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Welcome hug
Acky Uzosike '13 (right) is welcomed back to campus by Allston Burr Resident Dean Jill Constantino at Cabot House during move-in day. Constantino's husband, Michael Baran, and their daughter, Rio, age 7, are in the background.
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Unlocked
On move-in day, students' keys are ready for pick-up at Cabot House, which is composed of six buildings: Bertram, Eliot, Whitman, Barnard, Briggs, and Cabot. All six were women-only Radcliffe College dorms until they were integrated in 1970.
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Cut-ups
Sol, age 6, son of Allston Burr Resident Dean Jill Constantino, relaxes under a tree while the children of Cabot’s House masters, Jai, age 9 (in back), and Nalini, age 12, have an impromptu running race.
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Come on, Irene
Nancy Greene (right) bought son Sam Waters ’14 a flashlight in case his new dorm, Cabot House, lost power during Hurricane Irene. Sam’s sister, Michelle (center), helped with the move-in.
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Welcoming committee
Jai, age 9 (from left), and Nalini, age 12, the children of Cabot House Masters Rakesh and Stephanie Khurana, greet returning Cabot House student Julia Mason '13 during move-in day. The children were selling Cabot House string backpacks, canvas totes, men’s’ ties, and sweatshirts. They also gave lanyards to the incoming sophomores and rain ponchos to everyone to use in the storm.
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Team work
Custodians Alfredo Landarde (left) and Anna Rodriguez move a whiteboard into Cabot House on move-in day.
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Riders on the storm
Johnnie Taylor (left) and Shanta Taylor drove all the way from Detroit, Mich., to help move furniture for Shanta's daughter and Johnnie's granddaughter, Iman Taylor '12. They planned to ride out the storm in New England.
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Cabot chit-chat
Stephanie Khurana talks with a returning student on move-in day. She and husband, Rakesh, are second-year House masters at Cabot House.
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Helping hand
A student gets help from her mother on move-in day at Cabot House.
