Seth Packrone '09

About Seth

Hometown:
Uniontown, PA

University Partner:
Harvard College

Degree:
Social Studies

Grant Partner:
Facing History and Ourselves

Senior Mentor:
Dennis Barr, Director of Program Evaluation

"My experience at Facing History gave me the opportunity to play a meaningful role in an organization, something that is very rare for an undergraduate experience. The number of extracurricular events, coupled with the amazing people you meet through the experience, makes Steamboat rare in its breadth and scope."

Scholar Background

Growing up as the youngest of eight children in a single parent home, Seth drew strength and guidance from his mother and his siblings. Inspired by his niece with cerebral palsy, Seth developed a passion for education policy, especially special education reform. Since freshman year, Seth taught Civics to a Boston-area classroom and served as a mentor for a special-needs child with the REACH program. In the summer of 2007, Seth interned with Advocates for Children, a non-profit organization that defends special-needs students in the New York City Department of Education. During this experience, he examined more deeply the battle that special-needs students faced to secure an appropriate education. Seth emerged from his work with Advocates even more dedicated to education reform. He complemented his summer legal work with a position as an undergraduate intern with the Harvard Law Review. Building on these experiences, Seth received an Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Fellowship to research and write education policy with the Center for Law and Education in Washington, D.C. Seth wrote his senior thesis on special education.

Internship Description

There were several highlights for Seth this summer, both at Facing History and Ourselves and with the other Scholars. In early July, Seth had the opportunity to participate in a seven-person meeting with the leadership team of Facing History and Martha Minow, the Dean of Harvard Law School. It was a great experience for Seth to meet one of the leading minds in disability rights and discuss his work. Seth’s other highlight was when one of his fellow Scholars, Cameron, took him to volunteer at the Special Olympics as a surprise on a Saturday morning. Seth had the opportunity to announce two softball games while Cameron kept score. After the games they spoke to the players and presented them with their awards. Given Seth’s work with special education, this was one of the most memorable experiences of the summer.

Where are they now?

Seth was one of four students selected as a Harvard-Cambridge Scholar for the 2010/2011 academic year where he studied under the Governor William Shirley Scholarship at Cambridge University. Seth received a Fulbright Grant to be an English Teaching Assistant at Inonu University in Malatya, Turkey from September 2011 - May 2012. He has been accepted to Harvard Law School and will defer until September 2012.