Each summer, the SSP deans help high school students navigate the excitement—and the challenges—of participating in an intensive college prep program like Harvard’s Secondary School Program.
From offering guidance on getting through your first college class to helping you meet new friends, your assistant dean will be there to help make your summer at Harvard Summer School a success.
We asked our 2022 deans to tell you a little bit about themselves and what they’re looking forward to this summer. Here’s what they had to say:
Keith Moon (he/him/his), Associate Dean
I have a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Dartmouth College and an A.M. from Harvard in Russian Area Studies. Since then, I have had twin careers at the Harvard Summer School (beginning in 1988) and the Hotchkiss School (beginning in 1989). I have served as a proctor, assistant dean, and now associate dean (since 2015) at the Summer School, working principally with the Secondary School Program over the years. At Harvard, I oversee the college counseling program for the Secondary School Program.
What are you most looking forward to this summer at HSS?
I am especially looking forward to being back on campus this summer. We had two excellent summers online the last two years, and the program has learned a lot about how to integrate residential, online, and commuting students, but there is a certain magic to being on campus at Harvard that is tough to replicate in any other way. 2022 has been a great year of re-emergence into an interactive and in-person world and I am excited to bring that energy back to the Harvard Summer School.
How can students coming to SSP this summer get the most of their experience?
I hope our students will explore Cambridge and Boston all summer. The last two years have forced us to be more cautious and isolated than any of us would have liked: our students have had the majority of their high school years taken up by COVID and its restrictions. While we won’t be completely without some limitations this summer, I hope that everyone will take advantage of greater liberty to try some new things, meet some new people, and live in a more unexpected way than we have had to live over the last two years. I look forward to meeting as many of our students as possible!
Heather McLetchie-Leader, Assistant Dean
I’m returning for my ninth summer as assistant dean with Harvard Summer School. I work in the study of religion and am also a First Year Proctor for Harvard College. I’ve worked in residential education programs at Harvard, Dartmouth, and Phillips Andover. I have also taught at the K-12 level and in several adult and executive education programs.
What do you hope to achieve with your cohort this summer?
I look forward to building relationships with students and helping them to build relationships with each other. I hope that students gain an understanding of how exciting college courses can be. Many college courses will explore a subject in-depth; in seven weeks, the course will cover a whole semester’s worth of material. Such a course, in such a compressed amount of time, can open up one’s intellect to the thrill of deep engagement with a single subject. I look forward to meeting you all!
Kasey LeBlanc (he/him/his), Assistant Dean
I am excited to return to the Harvard Summer School’s Secondary Program for my seventh summer as an assistant dean. When not working for HSS, I can be found living and working in Cabot House as an aide to the faculty deans and working on my first novel about a closeted trans boy and a magical dream circus.
What are you most looking forward to this summer at HSS?
I’m most excited for the return to an in-person program on campus and getting to meet my students. I look forward to hearing about the classes and activities you are most looking forward to this summer!
Bridget Keegan (she/her/hers), Assistant Dean
I’m returning for my second year as assistant dean with Harvard Secondary School Program. I hold degrees from Harvard College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I’m a high school science teacher and I love traveling! I have taught in China, Spain, Boston, and New York.
How can students coming to SSP this summer get the most of their experience?
Get to know your professors, ADs [assistant deans], and the resources available to you—we’re here for you! Perhaps your instructor is doing what you want to do someday—learn about the path they took to get to where they are. College coursework can be a large adjustment from high school classes—take advantage of advising and tutoring.
Kathleen Dillon (she/her/hers), Assistant Dean
I am a Master of Education student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This will be my first summer in the role of assistant dean in the Summer School Program. Prior to graduate school, I was an officer in the Coast Guard where I led teams during disaster response operations. After leaving the military, I served in the role of Education Coordinator with the New York Mets where I worked with minor league baseball players to help them achieve their education goals.
What are you most looking forward to this summer at HSS?
I’m most looking forward to building connections with the students. What I love about the Summer School Program is that it brings together students from a variety of backgrounds. I’m excited to get to know each student’s unique personality and interests and help them in whatever way I can to reach their personal and academic goals for the summer.
