Harvard University, named after John Harvard is the most prestigious university in the world. John Harvard donated most of his estate and books to the University. The University which was founded in 1636 has educated many American intellectuals and the notable alumni of Harvard has its own significance.
The university has professional schools of education, law, medicine, business, health, divinity, and design.
According to the Center for World University Rankings, Harvard is currently the best university in the world. Many extraordinary people have walked the hall of fame of Harvard.
Harvard’s total enrollment is more than 20,000. These people went to pursue their career in different fields like entertainment, finance, politics and many more.
Harvard University has educated eight United States Presidents. Currently, more than 150 noble prize winners are from Harvard.
In this article, we are going to talk about some of the most famous Harvard students of all time.
Notable Alumni of Harvard
-
John Adams
John Adams was an American politician and was the country’s first Vice President (1789-1797) and second President (1791-1801). He was one of the original Founding Fathers and played an important role in the American Revolution.
John Adams is famous for persuading Congress to adopt the Declaration of Independence. His son (John Quincy Adams) also became the sixth president of the US.
-
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is probably the most famous alumni of Harvard. He founded Microsoft in the early 80s. Bill Gates built up a software empire. He is the prime reason why most people are actually using a computer today. His product, MS-DOS, changed the computer era in the 80s and 90s. Thanks to his software, the technology infrastructure growth accelerated after the 80s.
He left Harvard after studying for two years. In Harvard, he became friends with Steve Ballmer. Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980. In 2007, Harvard honored Bill Gates by giving them an honorary law degree.
Currently, Bill Gates is worth more than 85 billion dollars. He is doing many great things for the world.
Bill Gates has also founded Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The aim of this foundation is to provide healthcare to poor people.
Bill Gates has done a great job with this foundation. Thus, he is definitely the top starter and founder from Harvard University. Also, read Notable Alumni of Loyola College
-
Mark Zuckerberg
The third on our list is Mark Zuckerberg. He is the founder of Facebook. Facebook has completely changed the way we communicate with each other. Currently, Facebook has more than 2 billion users.
Mark Zuckerberg has completely changed the social media world. He is currently worth more than 70 billion dollars. Mark Zuckerberg also dropped out of Harvard. But, he is still considered as Harvard alumni.
-
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States of America. He is the first African American to ever hold the presidential office. Barack Obama also made history by becoming the first black president of the Harward Law Review.
He graduated from Harvard University in 1991. In 2009, Barack Obama was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. He has done a lot to strengthen international diplomacy. Currently, his daughter is also attending Harvard University.
-
George W. Bush
George W. Bush graduated from Harvard Business School in 1975. He was the first U.S President to ever hold an MBA degree. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States and 46th Governor of Texas.
He was a normal student at Harvard with a relaxed attitude. George W. Bush was responsible for announcing a war against terrorism. He ordered an invasion of Iran and Afghanistan. In addition, he also signed No Child Left behind Act.
-
Matt Damon
Everyone already knows about Matt Damon. He is an actor who has won Academy Award for his performance in Good Will Hunting. Matt Damon is also one of the top 30 highest grossing actors.
Currently, Matt Damon is worth more than 170 million USD dollars. People Magazine named Matt Damon as the Sexiest Man Alive in 2007.
-
Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft. He is not the most famous Microsoft employee that graduated from Microsoft. But, still, he holds a diploma degree from Harvard. He graduated from Harvard University in 1997. Steve Ballmer has worked in the Harvard Advocate newspaper.
He has also donated over $50 million USD to Harvard University in 2014. Currently, Steve Ballmer is the CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers.
-
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg was the chief operating officer of Facebook. She enrolled at Harvard University in 1987, long before Mark Zuckerberg applied for Harvard. Sheryl graduated in 1997 with a degree in economics.
She also won the John H. Williams Prize. The John H. Williams Prize is given to the top graduating student in their respective fields.
She also enrolled at Harvard Business School after 2 years. Sherly got her MBA degree in 1995. Again, she topped her class.
She has also worked as a vice president at Google. Currently, she is a billionaire and founder of the Lean In foundation.
-
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a very famous astrophysicist. He received his degree in physics from Harvard in 1980. Tyson is famous for his passion for science. He tries to simplify physics theories. Thus, even the general public can understand physics theories. He has received numerous awards from the National Academy of Sciences and Nasa.
-
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg is the current head of Bloomberg. He is also the former mayor of New York City. Bloomberg is an old company which started in the early 80s. They changed their name from Bloomberg Terminals to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg has affected the way financial market work. Almost every share trader knows about Bloomberg. Michael Bloomberg is also a potential presidential candidate. He can be the 9th president of the United States that holds a degree from Harvard.
-
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. Popularly known as JFK, he also served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.
The Kennedy family has produced three senators and a president. They have established themselves as one of the most influential political family in the United States.
He was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
-
Al Gore
Al Gore only applied in one university and that was Harvard. He is an environmental activist who is working to save the environment. Al Gore is also former Vice President of the United States. He has done his bachelor’s degree from Harvard in Government.
In Harvard school, he learned about global warming in the Roger Revelle class. After that class, he decided to become an environmental activist.
-
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman is an Israeli American actress. She is famous for her role in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Natalie has won many awards for her work in V for Vendetta, Closer and Star Wars Episode II.
She made her directorial debut in Eve movie. It was a short film. Natalia has won two Golden Globe Awards and also an Academy Award. She received her bachelor degree in psychology from Harvard University.
-
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is another very famous American actress on this list. She is known for her work in movies like kiss the Girls, High Crimes, Double Jeopardy and Ruby in Paradise. Ashley Judd is the daughter of famous singer Naomi Judd. After dating Matthew McConaughey, Brady Andreson, Michael Bolton, she finally married to Dario Franchitti.
She has earned an MPA or Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard in 2010. Ashley is very active in political and humanitarian causes. She speaks at various events across the country.
-
Lloyd Blankfein
Llyod Blankfein is currently a senior chairman of The Goldman Sachs Group. The Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking firm that deals with securities services, investment banking, and other various financial services. He was the CEO and chairman from 2006 until the end of 2018. Before becoming CEO, he was the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Goldman from 2004 to 2006.
Lloyd Blankfein has studied law from Harvard Law School. After receiving his degree, he worked for various law firms. First, he worked for Proskauer Rose law firm. After that, he switched to Newton and Irvine firm. In 1982, he joined trading firm J. Aron & Co as a salesman.
This firm was later bought by Goldman Sachs. Currently, Blankfein is worth over 1.1 Billion dollars. In 2009, he was named as the “Person of the Year” by TIME Magazine.
Related : 10+ Free Resume Builders Online (with infographics)
Conclusion :
These were all the notable alumni of Harvard. The school pride runs deep in every university. But, Harvard has produced the most notable alumni. They have educated 8 United States President.
They have produced top-tier entertainers, business leaders, and world leaders. Even people who drop out of Harvard are successful. They have become big players in their industry. Harvard provides top-notch education to its students. They have been producing top-class students since 1636.