Juan Sebastián Lemos strengthens his research skills during his stay at Harvard
During March 2025, Juan Sebastián Lemos, a student of the Master's program in Economics PEG at Universidad de los Andes, made a one-month academic stay at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. With the support of TREES, this experience contributed to Juan Sebastián's formative process as a researcher, broadening his academic and personal perspectives. What was this experience like for him? Below, we share his testimony.
Thanks to the support of TREES, I had the opportunity to do an academic stay at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an opportunity that marked both my professional and personal growth and that leaves me with experiences and learning that otherwise I would not have been able to live.
On a personal level, this experience transformed my perspective on what is possible. Studying at Harvard had never been an even imaginable option for me, but today it has become a real dream that I strive for at work every day. Living in another country, adapting to a new culture and communicating in a different language was a major challenge, as I had not had the opportunity to do so before. However, this was also an opportunity to broaden my knowledge, question my place in the world, the opportunities and privileges I have and strengthen my autonomy.
On a professional level, the stay allowed me to advance more quickly and in greater depth in my research project. I attended seminars and classes given by leading professors in education research, which enriched my ideas and opened new avenues to continue expanding my research agenda. I participated in discussions with doctoral students who shared their experiences with me. This allowed me to better understand how academic trajectories are constructed in international contexts. I learned new methodologies and research approaches that complement my previous training and gained confidence in my ability to contribute, from my experience, to conversations and decisions in the research project I am working on.
Finally, I was also able to establish links with students and researchers from different countries who share similar interests. At the same time, being surrounded by such skilled people in such a demanding environment was a challenge, but also a motivation to reflect on the quality of my education in the eyes of a future international projection. In short, this experience gave me more than knowledge: it gave me clarity about my vocation, new tools for my academic and professional development, and the impetus to keep striving.