Chasing the caffeine high
This is one in a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates. Jesse Kaplan may be the only entrepreneur on campus who’s more likely to be hunched over a sink doing dishes than over a laptop writing code. But then, the founder of Harvard’s first student-run coffee shop was never too concerned with adhering to someone else’s concept of success. “I like doing things my own way,” the graduating senior said one recent afternoon as he set up chairs in Cabot Café, the cozy study spot and performance space that he launched two years ago in the Cabot House basement. It was a statement — or an understatement — not just of his preference for furniture arrangements, but for plotting an unusual path at Harvard. After growing up in nearby Newton, Kaplan was intent on leaving the Boston area after high school. But the ambition and energy of Harvard students attracted...