Interview with Kim Harrington, RHS Class of 1997

by Liam Nelson, Class of 2021

Kim Harrington, RHS class of 1997, is a diplomat in the United States Department of State. She has worked around the globe, in places such as South America, Africa, and the Middle East. She grew up in Ramsey, and was an exceptionally bright student at RHS. Her favorite classes were freshman year English, as well as Spanish, Latin, and APUSH. Her favorite extracurricular activities were the Academic Decathlon, as well as Mock Trial. She spent her junior year of high school in Washington, DC, in an academic program sanctioned by the House of Representatives. Kim cited this experience as what made her love living and working in DC, and after graduating RHS she attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. The study abroad program at Georgetown was particularly attractive to her, and she spent her junior year abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Ms. Harrington thrived in life abroad, and from this felt comfortable and confident becoming a diplomat, where she has built a very successful career. She described Ramsey as fostering a spirit of adventure in her due to its proximity to New York City, and this curiosity has made her driven in her profession. When asked if she had any words of wisdom for current Rams, she responded, “Ramsey graduates are very well prepared to do whatever they would like in a globalized world,” and she encourages each student to find out what interests them during their Ramsey experience, and find careers with the opportunity to further explore those interests.

Ms. Harrington is a stellar example of what all Ramsey students aspire to be, and is a testament to the strength and uniqueness of the RHS experience. My fellow students and I are inspired by her and her career, and we will strive to take her wisdom to heart as we move forward into college and our future careers.