Students come to Harvard Kennedy School to pursue their passions, gain skills to address the world’s most pressing public programs, advance their careers—and maybe even find love. Well, that’s what happened for Bryant Heng MC/MPA 2023 and Zipporah Gatiti Heng MC/MPA 2023, who met through the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) Program and got married on the Harvard campus.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we asked Bryant and Zipporah to share their ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø love story.
How did you meet?
We met at ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø during the MC/MPA Program and got to know each other better at meetings. Bryant helped to bring together a group of MC/MPA students for Christian fellowship every Friday before Quorum Call, and Zipporah was one of the participants. At these Friday gatherings, we built strong and lasting friendships that continue today.
What was it like attending Harvard as a couple?
The Harvard experience was a rigorous and rewarding academic journey with many shared memories. We started as friends and attended common cohort activities like hiking, BBQs, and gatherings with mutual friends, keeping our relationship private so that we could get to know each other without pressure. It certainly helped that we were friends first, as it created a great foundation that eventually became a deeper connection.
Tell us a little about your wedding.
Originally, we planned for a small, intimate celebration with family and friends. However, our classmates learned about our wedding and suddenly the guest list grew to include the entire class! Faced with the challenge of finding a venue during graduation week, our pastor found a church for us in Cambridge, but we struggled to find a reception venue that could fit such a large group.
Against all odds and to our amazement, our family and classmates rallied together, turning that challenge into a remarkable celebration. From coordinating the flowers, the cake, catering, and drinks, everyone pitched in to make it a dream wedding. We decided on Harvard Business School’s for the reception because of its connection to Harvard—where our love story began. It was a very special week. We celebrated Commencement on Thursday and got married on Saturday. We felt blessed to have shared our happiness and this celebration of love with our extended Harvard family.
What are you both up to now that you’ve graduated?
We now find ourselves in beautiful Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where we’ve set up our home with our puppy Icecream. Bryant is a working in the Mayor’s office on innovation in transportation and childcare. Zipporah is an entrepreneur coffee trader with her company working across markets in Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. Together, we continue our journey but remain tremendously grateful for the Harvard Kennedy School experience and community where it all started for us.
Photos courtesy of Bryant Heng and Zipporah Gatiti Heng
