Clowning around, with purpose
This is one in a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates. Laura Ricci, who is receiving a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Education, always suspected she would follow in her family’s artistic footsteps. “The arts have always been a very deeply integral part of my life,” Ricci said. “I come from a family of artists and musicians, and grew up surrounded by all forms of artistic expression.” But Ricci, whose new degree has a focus on arts education, never suspected that her longtime interest in theater — which prompted her to graduate from the Interlochen Arts Academy (’89) and Mills College (’94), and even to study with acclaimed actress Dame Judi Dench at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center — would eventually lead her to practice her craft in hospitals. She also never expected she would become a professional therapeutic clown. “My clown is a weird-looking doctor named Bill,” said...