Sage Nye '22 - Field Hockey
Returning to GoCrimson.com for an eighth season, "Around The Yard: Life As A Harvard Student-Athlete" explores life away from the playing fields for select Harvard student-athletes through Q&A style entries.
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is
Sage Nye, I am a senior in Mather house and a social studies concentrator with an economics secondary. I am writing my senior thesis on changing zoning laws in US cities and in addition to being a member of the Harvard field hockey team, I am the Staff Director at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.
Where do you volunteer, when did you start/why did you stay and how did you first find out about it or get involved?
I volunteer at the Harvard Square Homeless shelter which is located right next to Pinocchio's Pizza. I started volunteering here when I was a first-year and have worked there for my entire time at Harvard. I cherish my time working in the shelter for many reasons, but the biggest one by far is the people. Our guests are really interesting individuals and I enjoy getting to know them and hearing their perspectives on the world. Also, as I have taken on more leadership roles in the shelter I have had the opportunity to get to know many of our staffers and volunteers. This has given me a unique opportunity to interact and work alongside individuals that I might not have gotten to meet outside of the shelter, and I really value the opportunity to get to know them.
I volunteered at a soup kitchen in high school, so I knew that I wanted to do volunteer work at Harvard when I showed up in my first year. I went to a PBHA fair and found out about the Harvard Square Homeless shelter so I applied right away and the rest is history!
What is your role or what are some of your tasks/responsibilities? How often are you working with the shelter?
At the shelter I am the Staff Director which means that it is my job to help and manage our staffers and directors at the shelter. I work closely with the other directors to make sure that we are providing the best services we can to our guests and while also making sure our directors are feeling supported and happy. I also lead our weekly policy discussions to make sure our shelter rules are kept up to date and fair for all guests. I really like this role because it allows me to interact with all of our staffers at the shelter as well as guests. It also gives me a unique perspective into how the shelter runs and lets me appreciate all of the work and dedication that our other directors and supervisors put into their roles.
I am physically in the shelter for one four-hour shift every week, as well as leading our policy and staff meetings every week for an hour each. Other than that, I spend time checking in with staffers, planning trainings and answering emails! I work on something related to the shelter every day, and I really enjoy doing it!
Can you describe some of the challenges you face when you're working and how you deal with them?
Working at the shelter takes a lot of energy. Overall, my primary job is to make sure our staffers are healthy and happy. Sometimes I have challenges connecting with a staffer or building staff unity. Sometimes a problem arises on a shift and I need to make sure I am checking in with the staffers on the shift and their mental health. Sometimes we have trouble getting enough volunteers to staff a shift. Each day is different, but that is part of what I enjoy!
What are some takeaways from your experiences there?
I appreciate the opportunity to work with a group of individuals from all different backgrounds. I will always remember my time in the shelter fondly because of all of the people that it gave me the opportunity to meet and get to know. I also think it has given me a lot of practice in leadership and organization and caring for and about others which is invaluable to me.
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your volunteer work?
You can volunteer at the shelter! Here is the
common application or you can reach out to
hshs.volunteer@gmail.com
