PAST CONFERENCES
The Harvard Undergraduates in Asia Program takes pride in the variety and depth of academic topics that our conferences have covered in the past sixteen years. Our speakers, panels and trips have been not just educational, but also a source of inspiration for our participants' career choices.
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Each year, HUAP organizes social and cultural events that attract a diverse group of speakers to ensure that the various cultures and views of each one of our partner countries are fully represented. Outside of the academic component of our conference, delegates will have the unique opportunity to learn more about Asia through deep conversations and interactions with their peers.
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In each of the past years, more than 200 Harvard and Asian delegates, Harvard faculty and scholars, and other guest speakers from over seven different countries have convened to discuss important topics that affect all of our lives.
OUR STORY
2024 Conference:
Embracing the Unknown: The Path Less Traveled
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Choosing the path of most resistance may seem counterintuitive, but reframing challenges as opportunities can allow us to discover new paths to achieving our goals. Whether it is starting a business, developing AI technology, preparing for the next pandemic, or promoting the arts, we all have to face a future filled with opportunities and uncertainties. How we choose to embrace the uncharted possibilities of the future will be a key factor in determining the outcome of our endeavors. Many changemakers in the world have experienced countless failures or have been told their work was “impossible” yet continued down their path anyway. By featuring speakers who have taken unconventional paths and defined their own goals, our conference aims to educate attendees about embracing uncertainties and taking a leap of faith.​​
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2023 Conference:
Starting Small, Thinking Big: Change Starting From Our Local Community
No big issue can be solved overnight. Instead, solutions often emerge from the ground as local community members identify and address problems. Throughout the conference, we will work towards a collaborative understanding of how tangible steps taken on a seemingly smaller scale can catalyze larger impacts. A range of experts will share how they have improved the lives of community members, and, in turn, revolutionized global movements. It doesn’t take a professional nor an academic to be an agent of change — changemaking can be made accessible by bringing together a community to reimagine the world through the agency of local actors.
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Speakers included Jean Shein, Dr. Shujen Wang, Dr. Hussain Lalani, Dr. Joseph Allen, Michael Puett, Dr. Grace Chao, Jamila Raqib, Ms. Rushan Abbas, Carolyn Nash, Professor Olivier de Weck, Dr. Metta McGarvey, and Eduardo Briceno.
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 HCAP_JANUARY-256 |  HCAP_JANUARY-19 |
|---|---|
 HCAP_JANUARY-222 |  HCAP_JANUARY-341 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-342 |  HCAP_JANUARY-260 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-286 |  HCAP_JANUARY-266 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-207 |  HCAP_JANUARY-166 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-145 |  HCAP_JANUARY-100 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-108 |  HCAP_JANUARY-66 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-58 |  HCAP_JANUARY-52 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-42 |  HCAP_JANUARY-22 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-15 |  HCAP_JANUARY-25 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-14 |  HCAP_JANUARY-246 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-254 |  HCAP_JANUARY-317 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-28_edited |  HCAP_JANUARY-228 |
 HCAP_JANUARY-51_edited |  HCAP_JANUARY-208_edited |
2022 Conference:
Interdisciplinary Innovation: New Ways to Approach a New World
As the modern world faces pandemics, climate crises,
and social tensions, the Harvard College in Asia Program
will explore global efforts and initiatives in the HCAP
2022 Conference: Interdisciplinary Innovation. Through
speakers, experiments, and case studies, we will
examine the ways in which individuals and communities
cope with the changes and challenges in our lives and
learn about the importance of the roles we play in
shaping the future.
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Speakers included James Robson, Daniel Koss, Amy Smeed, Young Joo Lee, Jeffrey Schnapp, Kattesh Katti, Glenn Lau-Kee, Sam Ransbotham, Benny Luo, Hidetoshi Nishimura, Professor Jun Arima, and Tim Ritchie.
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2021 Conference:
Resilience and Reform: Adapting to a Changing World
In a turbulent world marked by rampant xenophobia, crisis, and disorder, our communities must begin to construct a collaborative vision of resilience and reform. Through lectures, presentations, and case studies, we will examine the various ways in which the communities, organizations, and leaders have dealt with issues ranging from the local to the international
level, and devise ways in which governments and citizens alike can become agents of
lasting, purposeful societal change.
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Speakers included Professor Shane Greenstein,
Tim Danks, Connie Wang, Wahyu Dhyatmika, Kimmy Yam, Dr. Hieu Nguyen, Vu Van, Dr. Nikki Khanna, Dr. Chelsea Schieder, Dr. Yin Lam Lee-Johnson, Archana Sinha, and Dr. Xi Chen.
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2020 Conference:
Breaking Boundaries: Tech and Media
Through discussions with distinguished speakers and various social and cultural events, delegates explored different aspects of technology and media in the modern world, emphasizing the importance of global leadership in preparing students for life, work, and citizenship.
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Speakers included Margot N. Gill, Robin Chase, Abby Fichtner, Keno Fisher, and Carrie Ann Johnson.
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Past Conferences:
2018: Redefining Leadership
2017: Mind, Body, and Society
2016: Equality, Tolerance, and Freedom
2014: Building Sustainable Cities
2013: Civil and Minority Rights
2012: Technology and Social Justice
2011: Global Healthcare Systems
2010: Social Entrepreneurship
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FEATURED ALUMNI BLOGS
Inside, we would hear spirited music, taste tulsi leaf on our tongues, feel the cool temple floor beneath our bare feet, smell burning incense, and see radiant images and icons adorning the walls. Just a few minutes spent circling the sacred site would bring our bodies and minds to life...
Tokyo immediately gave me a feeling of serenity and calmness. There was soft, traditional Japanese music playing through the airport corridor as we walked to customs... I don’t think I could’ve chosen a better place to lose my passport if I tried...
After becoming so close with the Asian delegates in January, by spring break I felt like I was going to visit old friends, and it made me all the more excited. Leaving Bangkok after a tearful goodbye, I knew I had a network of friends that would be with me for a long time...