Check out our latest "Student Spotlight" with former student Vice President of the Institute of Politics Julia Konrad. WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED AT THE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS? I began my IOP life through Citizenship Tutoring, a program that matches Harvard students with Harvard employees to help them pass their citizenship exam. I loved the sense of community the program built, reinforcing the idea that within Harvard, we are interdependent and will support one another. I have developed close friendships through that program, both with my classmates and the custodial and dining hall staff of the University. I also developed a love of teaching that I will continue in my graduate work and post-college plans.

As graduation nears, we are sadly getting ready to say goodbye to the class of 2013. Our Institute of Politics graduating seniors have helped shape our programming over the past four years and have already achieved so much in the world of politics and public service. Leading up to graduation, we are highlighting some of our seniors to showcase their accomplishments, knowng they truly will go on to change the world. Meet Sophie Fry.

We had an amazing semester filled with forum events, community service, study groups, discussions and of course being inspired by the biggest names in politics and public service. As the semester comes to a close and students disappear from our hallways to study for finals and take off to their summer internships, we want to take the opportunity to reflect back on the semester.

Last week we released our 23rd national poll on millennial political viewpoints. The results provided us with some harsh realizations about engaging america's 18- to 29- year-olds in the political process. Overall, we found that millennials are discouraged by what they see in Washington and are continually becoming more partisan and committed to their political parties. This, of course, is not a good sign for the future of the country. It is more important than ever that we continue to inspire this generation to committ themselves to public service and go out and change what they see. Below are three of the more disheartening findings from our spring poll.

As graduation nears, we are sadly getting ready to say goodbye to the class of 2013. Our Institute of Politics graduating seniors have helped shape our programming over the past four years and have already achieved so much in the world of politics and public service. Leading up to graduation, we are highlighting some of our seniors to showcase their accomplishments, knowng they truly will go on to change the world. Meet Danny Bicknell.

On Wednesday, April 24 the Institute of Politics brought together Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, former Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Department of Homeland Security Juliette Kayyem, Harvard Divinity School Dean David Hempton, Director of MEMA Kurt Schwartz and WBZ Anchor David Wade for an extensive conversation on terrorism, coordinated city, state and federal responses, impact of the media, and the resilience of Boston during and after the Boston Marathon bombings. Before the Forum event, we spoke to WBZ-TV News Anchor and Reporter David Wade about being on the ground covering the bombings and subsequent "manhunt."

We at the Institute of Politics send our sympathy, thoughts and prayers to the many families affected by the unthinkable and violent Boston Marathon attack. All of us are also incredibly grateful for the coordinated law enforcement effort and subsequent manhunt to make our communities safe and for the countless well-wishes and thoughts our staff and students received from the broader IOP community throughout the last week. Everyone is proud of the unwavering commitment Boston's citizens showed to supporting each other and their city. No one will forget.

That night, I was planning to be among hundreds gathering at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum to consider a basic fundamental right – the right to marry the person you love in an event we were calling “Unexpected Allies: The New Coalition of Gay Marriage Advocates.” While the bombings rightly led us to postpone (we are hopeful we can reschedule), the issue is again put into stark focus by Monday’s events.

Authored by Anna Menzel The IOP Citizenship Program in collaboration with the Bridge Program at the Office for Workplace Development celebrated 25 new American citizens on April 2nd. This annual celebration commends the journey that each of these Harvard employees took to become a U.S. citizen. The ultimate satisfaction is seeing the smiling faces of these individuals as they were awarded their certificates in front a crowd including President Faust, Bridge Program staff, tutors, family and friends. Our tutors in collaboration with the Bridge Program were able to dramatically touch the lives of 25 individuals in a fundamental way, and that was just this year.

Authored by Student Advisory Committee Leadership members ImeIme Umana, Tori Wenger, Jimmy Biblarz and Katie Walsh. We cannot wait to welcome the Class of 2017 to our IOP community. We first joined the IOP as freshmen, as members of Fellows and Study Groups, Women’s Initiative in Leadership, CIVICS, John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, Internships, Citizenship Tutoring, Community Action Committee and National Campaign. We’ve had a comprehensive IOP experience that has shown us that each program has a unique contribution to the pursuit of politics and public service.