Students | May 24, 2012

Steven Maheshwary's speech at Harvard College Class Day 2012

Student speech at Harvard College Class Day 2012

Steven Maheshwary

In his Harvard Oration, one of four student speeches on Class Day, Steven Maheshwary ’12 stressed the importance of enthusiasm and urged his fellow classmates on Class Day 2012 to prepare for a life beyond the fixed paths they have followed up until now: “The vast world we meet next imposes ambiguity—there are no set Core or GenEd classes to take, no consistent HUDS menu to rely on, and the commute may even be farther than the plane ride between the River and the Quad. And this can offer a lot of pain and confusion, but the best gain made from pain is the reign of enthusiasm.”

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard football player runs with the ball, pursued by opposing players on the field.

Harvard Football: Villanova 52, Harvard 7

The Crimson’s inaugural playoff appearance is nasty, brutish, and short.

Football players in white and maroon uniforms celebrating a play on the field.

Harvard Football: Yale 45, Harvard 28

A wild weekend: a debacle in The Game, then a berth in the playoffs.

Harvard football player in red attempts to block a pass from a Penn player in white during a game.

Harvard Football: Harvard 45, Penn 43

An epic finish ensures another Ivy title. Next up: Yale. And after?

Most popular

Howard Koh speaks at the 2025 "Beyond Shelter" symposium held at Harvard

Harvard Symposium Tackles 400 Years of Homelessness in America

Professors explore the history of homelessness in the U.S., from colonial poor laws to today’s housing crisis

A protester holding a sign that reads "ELECTORAL COLLEGE = VOTER SUPPRESSION" on November 13, 2016.

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Historian Alexander Keyssar on why the unpopular institution has prevailed

A man in a gray suit sits confidently in a vintage armchair, holding a glass.

The Life of a Harvard Spy

Richard Skeffington Welch’s illustrious—and clandestine—career in the CIA

Explore More From Current Issue

Wadsworth House with green shutters and red brick chimneys, surrounded by trees and other buildings.

Harvard History

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

A diverse group of adults and children holding hands, standing on varying levels against a light blue background.

Social Sciences

Why America’s Strategy For Reducing Racial Inequality Failed

Harvard professor Christina Cross debunks the myth of the two-parent Black family.

Professor David Liu smiles while sitting at a desk with colorful lanterns and a figurine in the background.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.