Meet the GSD Class of 2025 Commencement Marshals
Each year, graduating students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) come together to nominate and elect classmates to serve as commencement marshals by program. Being selected as a commencement marshal is one of Harvard’s most beloved traditions and is a high honor for a graduating student. During commencement exercises, marshals help to organize the GSD procession to Harvard Yard. After commencement, the marshals become the alumni liaisons for their class cohorts.
Meet the graduates who will represent their programs at the GSD’s 2025 Commencement:
Architecture: Neha Harish
Neha is an architect from Bengaluru, India, who holds a bachelor of architecture from RV College of Architecture and a master of architecture II from Harvard GSD. After acquiring her licensure in India, Neha has worked with the offices of CollectiveProject in Bengaluru and Studio Gang in Chicago. With a primordial interest in typological histories, Neha’s work focuses on clarifying architecture’s position within material-energy-labor relationships that affect construction assemblies as a means to look at our contribution to the climate crisis. In this pursuit, her love for hand drawing-making has prompted her to travel extensively, striving to bring forth regional material and pedagogical histories, written and oral. In her spare time Neha enjoys playing basketball, nourishing her eternal love for the sport.
Landscape Architecture: Sophie Flinner
Born and raised in Orrville, Ohio, Sophie grew up in a family of farmers and gardeners. This early exposure inspired her pursuit of a bachelor of landscape architecture from the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University, where her academic work received multiple accolades. While at the GSD, Sophie was a Hunnewell Intern at the Arnold Arboretum , worked as a technical assistant in the Zünd Room , and took pride in being a class representative. Her professional interests lie in small-scale gardens, intricate planting plans, and designing landscapes that are both aesthetic and sustainable. In her free time, Sophie enjoys producing music, going for long walks, writing, and spending time with friends.
Urban Design: Trinity Kao
Trinity Kao (Tsae Wei Kao) grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She is a registered architect with a bachelor of architecture from Chung Yuan Christian University and is receiving a master of architecture in urban design from the Harvard GSD. She has a deep interest in how urban dwellers interact with public spaces, as well as in civic and cultural projects. With international experience at KHL Architects & Planners in Taiwan, Pelli Clarke & Partners in Tokyo, and KPF in New York, Trinity has worked on projects across diverse cultural and environmental contexts. She served as the president of Taiwan GSD and class representative for her MAUD class. Known for her love of art and music, Trinity taught a J-Term course at GSD called “Understanding Urban Landscape through Art and Musicals.” She likes to sketch and take photos in her free time; her photography and illustrations have earned awards and been featured in multiple publications. Trinity is honored to represent the 2025 cohort of MAUD and MLAUD!
Urban Planning: Giovanna Lia Toledo
Born and raised in Sorocaba, Brazil, Giovanna came to the GSD as a Jorge Paulo Lemann Fellow pursuing a master’s degree in urban planning. She focused on international and comparative planning, with a particular interest in the intersection of housing, climate, and social equity. At Harvard, Giovanna served as Social Impact Vice President for the Brazil Conference , student ambassador for the Center for International Development , and research assistant with the Department of Urban Planning and Design. She also mentored students and served as the GSD officer for the Harvard Brazilian Association, working to amplify the presence of Brazilian and international students on campus. Her research includes work for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston on their 2025 Community Lending Plan and with MIT D-LAB , focused on innovation and participatory design in the Global South. Giovanna is honored to represent the Master in Urban Planning Class of 2025!
Real Estate: Daniel Park
Originally from Southern California, Daniel earned his bachelor of science in business administration from USC and is receiving a master in real estate from Harvard University. He has over five years of experience in acquisitions and asset management at family offices and institutional owner-operators such as Veritas Investments and Related , with a focus on value-add strategies across multifamily, retail, manufactured housing, student housing, and other asset classes. At Harvard, Daniel served as executive vice president of the Real Estate Club and was recognized as a Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) sponsored Real Estate Intensive Scholar and an Urban Land Institute Etkin Scholar .
Daniel takes an opportunistic approach to real estate private equity, targeting temporarily out-of-favor assets in dislocated markets ahead of institutional capital. He focuses on unlocking value through strategic repositioning, operational improvements, and disciplined execution. Outside of work, he enjoys driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, golfing, surfing, sailing, and deep-sea fishing.
Daniel is honored to represent the Harvard Master in Real Estate Class of 2025. He is committed to serving as a representative of the program, supporting his classmates, and fostering a stronger sense of connection, purpose, and pride within the class and the broader Harvard community.
Design Studies: Navya Raju
Navya was born and raised in Bangalore, India, where she earned her bachelor of architecture with distinction. Before pursuing her master in design studies at the GSD, she worked as a sustainable design specialist at Space Matrix Design Consultants , where she led global sustainability certifications including LEED, WELL, and IGBC. She integrated net-zero strategies into design solutions for Fortune 500 companies and global real estate portfolios, including Sequoia Capital and Brookfield Properties .
At Harvard and MIT, Navya explored how principles of ecology and sustainable building design can inform real estate and the future of the built environment. She was an active contributor to Harvard and MIT’s 2026 net-zero campus decarbonization efforts. Navya served as the MDes Ecologies class representative and won the 2025 Unsung Hero Book Prize for her kindness, leadership, and academic excellence. In her leisure time, Navya enjoys playing soccer, teaching Indian classical dance to undergraduate students at Harvard Dance Center, and exploring Boston with her friends. Navya is honored to represent the remarkable 2025 cohort of MDes students.
Design Engineering: Darren Chin
Born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, Darren is a proud first-generation college (and now master’s!) graduate, earning a bachelor of commerce at the University of Alberta. Initially working in management consulting, Darren pivoted into tech product management and product design, channeling his passion for creating impactful user experiences, most recently at Boston Consulting Group’s Digital Ventures team. During his time at Harvard, he’s tinkered on new venture ideas with classmates, worked at the Bloomberg Center for Cities , and visited small farms in Hawaii and New York for his thesis project on improving how small farms operate. These experiences allowed him to build his entrepreneurial muscle and learn to fully build zero-to-one. In his free time, you can find Darren at the Harvard Ceramics lab or training for his first sprint triathlon.
Doctor of Design: Gorata Kgafela
Gorata is a design-led innovation strategist from Gaborone, Botswana, whose work bridges architecture, policy, and business to address complex challenges with creativity and purpose. She brings a systems-thinking approach to design, using it as a strategic tool to foster equity, collaboration, and transformative change across disciplines. Her doctoral research at the Harvard GSD explores the use of game design to reimagine public policy, developing playful yet impactful frameworks for collective decision-making. She also holds a BA in Architecture (magna cum laude, Washington University), a Master of Architecture (Valedictorian, AIA Henry Adams Medal, University of Miami), and an MBA (University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science).
At the GSD, Gorata served as a teaching fellow, co-president of AfricaGSD, and finance co-chair of the inaugural Harvard Housing Infrastructure, Policy, and Design Symposium . As class marshal, she represents a journey shaped by leadership, service, and a vision for justice and inclusive innovation. She connects people through human-centered and deeply collaborative design.
Gorata is guided by the spirit of Botho, a Setswana philosophy rooted in dignity, mutual respect, and shared humanity. She finds joy in traveling the world with her husband and children, grounding herself through yoga, and serving God with gratitude and faith.
