Luka Pavikjevikj is a resident of Quincy House, originally from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. A junior, he is studying History with a double concentration in Government and a language citation in German. He joined the Student Advisory Board of the Intellectual Vitality Initiative in order to advocate for establishing academic freedom and institutional neutrality as the University’s key values that would underpin and allow intellectual vitality to take place. To borrow the words from “The True Harvard” speech delivered by William James in 1903 – which Pavikjevikj quoted in his admissions essay –, Harvard’s “tolerance of exceptionality and eccentricity” and its “devotion to the principles of individual vocation and choice” are what makes it exceptional.
Stemming from his conviction that maintaining an open mind is the hallmark of the true intellectual and that nurturing the art of having difficult conversations that bridge ideological and viewpoint divides yields many social, political and personal benefits, he is continuing his service on the Board eager to contribute to the Initiative’s mission.
In addition to his service on the SAB, Pavikjevikj is an undergraduate associate of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies and sits on the History Leadership Council. He has served as a research assistant to Professor Gary Gerstle at the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute. He is also a founder of the Harvard Undergraduates for Academic Freedom (HUAF).