Harvard’s financial aid program helped Shaunte Butler ’14 to help others
Part of a series on the impact of Harvard financial aid on students. April 1, 2010, brought a welcome surprise for Shaunte Butler: an acceptance email from Harvard College. The Miami native sat frozen at her computer for several minutes, letting it sink in that she was admitted to the Class of 2014. Hugs and kisses from her mother and excited phone calls to friends soon followed. But the joyous celebration nearly didn’t happen. Butler almost didn’t apply to Harvard. The importance of a college education was never in question at Butler’s Florida home, where her mother, Lisa Winchester, reminded her two children daily about the pivotal importance of a strong education. It was a message that Winchester took from her grandmother, whose mantra was, “You’ve got to learn the books.” “What she instilled in my family,” said Winchester, “was everyone was going to school.” Yet as a single parent who worked two jobs to...