From one dreamer to another
She hailed from Venezuela. He came from Ecuador. She found a job as a cashier at Harvard Business School’s cafeteria because she spoke English. He didn’t know the language and got a position as a custodian at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Along the way, their paths crossed, and they recognized each other’s fears, dreams, and ambitions, but mostly they bonded over their eagerness to make the most of their potential. And so they did. Across 15 years, Monica Tesoriero built on her start in the cafeteria to become manager of overseas financial operations and the faculty grants program at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS). A few weeks ago, she was hired as the new director of administration for the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, where she will supervise five employees and manage the center’s budget. Kalan Chang cleaned classrooms, bathrooms, and...