Posts on Harry

From Darkness, Light

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I took this photo on my last day together with Anna-Lena in Munich. It is in many ways extremely ordinary. Pedestrians stroll along the street; a bus drives slowly towards the intersection; bikes are parked haphazardly next to the tram station. It is a spontaneous assembly of everyday lives.

The Most Important Determinant of Happiness

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I am meandering around the empty dinner tables at Acacia Hall when Rebecca calls me on Whatsapp.

I haven’t seen her in a while. Rebecca, apart from being a bit miffed at moving back in with her parents, is her usual bubbly self.

She invites me to her wedding, scheduled in almost a year. I’m caught off guard. I remember her fondly, but we haven’t really kept in touch. It would be exciting, but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing then, so I say I’ll confirm later. She insists that because I’m travelling from so far away, she doesn’t expect a gift. Of course, I think, she’s just being polite.

Life Is Random and Beautiful

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I am sitting on the balcony in Eliska’s apartment on the last night before we leave. It is 1:14am. Outside, there is a shadowy row of apartments facing us, solitary cars that whoosh across the road, and a parking lot bathed in the gentle glow of streetlights. The city lights twinkle in the distance, just like they did the night when we chatted on the hilltop overlooking Prague past midnight.

On Failure and Success

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I wrote this when I was a part of Ravi’s Study Program, an intensive coding and interview preparation program to prepare students for work. I later mentored for this program in the summer of 2025/26.

Throughout the past few months, many in this community have told us about their career successes. This is great if you’ve also gotten an internship, but if you haven’t, you can easily start to feel sad.

Merit and Moral Desert

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:02 +1000

The last of a 3-part series on scholarships and equity.

“This place is built upon the fantasy of meritocracy”
– Professor Pierre Portal, 2024 College of Science Associate Dean

In previous posts, I’ve outlined why we need to care more about equity. But as my Tuckwell Scholar friend points out, the bar may be higher for those who had more access to opportunity. If someone still met that bar, shouldn’t they equally deserve consideration?

The Invisible Gate

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:01 +1000

Part 2 of a 3-part series on scholarships and equity.

ANU has the lowest proportion of low-SES students in Australia. Why do poor students not come to ANU?

For many, it’s because they perceive an unbearable level of financial risk. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 12.3% of households have a net worth of below $50k. Accommodation at B&G costs about $12k a year. That means if your parents were paying for your housing for 4 years, you might use up literally all their savings. And even if they could scrape up the cash, they wouldn’t want to be a financial burden – and paying over $10k a year for accommodation seems like a lot of money when they’re used to counting paychecks from Coles.

Scholarships and Equity

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1000

This is the first of three posts on scholarships and equity. I wrote this over two years ago when I was elected as a College of Science Representative on ANUSA but didn’t dare to publish it – many of my friends are on significant scholarships. But I think the scholarship system is stacked against those who didn’t have the opportunities we did.

ANU has the lowest proportion of low-SES students out of any university in Australia.