Christopher Kawasaki

Point Scholar: 2005-2006

Harvard University
M.A., Public Policy

Chris was born and raised in a conservative Christian family in Virginia, where he was home-schooled until the age of fourteen. At fifteen the Evangelical Christian school he was attending learned that he was gay and asked him to leave. He subsequently spent most of high school between his own home and those of his friends. After graduating high school with honors, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude while working two jobs to support himself. Most of his time at Penn was also spent leading a number of LGBT-affiliated organizations that dealt with issues of sexuality, race, and increasing understanding between communities.

Chris graduated from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard in 2006, where he lead Harvard’s Mothership group, an umbrella organization responsible for connecting all LGBT groups across campus. He currently works in the Executive Office of Goldman Sachs where he co-founded the firm’s LGBT Junior Advisory Committee, which focuses on executing LGBT recruiting, retention and awareness initiatives. Chris remains involved with the Point Foundation through outreach, mentorships and corporate involvement.