Aloian Memorial Scholars

Enriching life at the Houses 

Head shots of smiling Aloian Scholars

Fariba Mahmud and Courtney Rabb

Photographs courtesy of the Harvard Alumni Association

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has named Fariba Mahmud ’22, of Winthrop House, and Courtney Rabb ’22, of Eliot House, as the 2021 David and Mimi Aloian Memorial Scholars for thoughtful leadership and enriching the quality of life in their Houses.

House Committee leader Mahmud, of St. George, Utah, has been the driving force behind Winthrop’s anti-racism advocacy, creating the ThropDates and Lion Buddies programs, along with activities that support the Black Lives Matter movement. Beyond House life, Mahmud also served as co-president of the South Asian Association and community outreach intern for the Harvard College Women’s Center.

Rabb, of Morgantown, West Virginia, co-chairs the House Committee and has fostered a sense of community through activities that include: coordinating a Housing Day video, creating the Big Sibling-Little Sibling program, and helping to lead an Eliot Faculty Roundtable and initiate a fundraising campaign for the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition, Rabb has served as treasurer of the All House Committee, peer adviser for the applied mathematics concentration, and as a member of the women’s rugby team.

You might also like

A summer program helps students from under-resourced high schools close a hidden academic gap.

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Phi Beta Kappa Speakers Call Out a ‘Deeply Troubling’ Moment

Former Harvard President Lawrence Bacow and poet Meghan O’Rourke urge graduates to focus on character and “radical attention.”

Most popular

America’s Housing Problem—Explained

How zoning reforms could address a crisis that squeezes the poor and the middle class

Harvard Global Institute

Harvard’s new approach to international research

The Modern World Reconceived

Interpreting politics through the rise of technocracy, morality, and the “web of capital”

Explore More From Current Issue

Singer performing on stage with a guitar, wearing a hat, and surrounded by band instruments.

Singer Elisa Smith’s whiskey-soaked voice and subversive feminism is part of the genre’s urban shift.

Colorful abstract design resembling an octopus with intricate swirls and patterns.

Growing liver implants, mapping the sense of smell, and journalism at risk

An open book with a film strip emerging, trailing popcorn and a dancer silhouette.

Readers Respond to Our Adaptations Survey

We asked people to share their favorite art adaptations. Here’s what they said.