“We’re all holders of institutional memory, especially the junior and senior PAFs, so it’s important to help each other remember what in-person Harvard was like,” said Hisgen, a history concentrator. “Obviously, things like karaoke nights, dinners, and in-person hangouts are not possible, so we decided to harness the virtual connections we do have to try to pair people up who were interested in doing a little bit of old-fashioned, pen-on-paper writing.”
Matt Thomas ’21, a PAF member from Kirkland House, welcomed the chance to change his routine when it came to keeping in touch with his friends. He recalled the jolt of positivity he felt when he wrote his first PAF Pals letter to Jacqueline Tubbs ’22 at the end of the fall semester. He lived off-campus in Cambridge last semester, and Tubbs was in Alabama.
“It was finals time, and they really are a drag, so putting pen to paper and being able to reach out to a friend was a fun change of pace and a way to lose myself for a minute,” said Thomas, a social studies concentrator. Since that first letter, the two have exchanged art, writing, and even some Monopoly money.
The experience inspired Thomas to expand his letter-writing circle.
“I write letters with my mom and dad, and with my girlfriend, and they’re so excited too. My dad said it was the first time someone had written him a letter since the Reagan administration,” said Thomas, who is from Los Angeles.
“The way I talk to my friends and family is often over text messaging, which is so quick. But with a letter, you have the space to reflect and meditate on your own experience and get a deep window into someone else’s as well,” he added. “And how fun is it that you have something to go back to and read anytime you miss them or anytime you’re thinking of them?”