Ramon Duran '22
Ramon will be studying toward a master’s degree in sociology at Columbia University this fall. In addition, he has deferred enrollment at Harvard Divinity School’s Master of Theological Studies program for one year. Since the program at Columbia will take only a year to complete, Ramon will be able to attend both universities. Taking classes like Ways of Understanding Religion with Professor Sarita Tamayo-Moraga and Theories and Methods with Professor David Gray inspired Ramon to think more about what social science has to offer to the study of religion. He ultimately decided that sociology offered a satisfying mix of cultural studies, economic theory, and historical analysis. Fascinated by the ideas proposed by sociologist Max Weber, Ramon hopes to build upon his senior thesis by continuing to study the relationship between religion and economic development while in graduate school.
An essential step along his path to graduate school was his decision to apply for the Diversity and Explorations (DivEx) program at Harvard Divinity School. Ramon was fortunate enough to attend this three-day program in 2019 when the program was still an in-person, pre-pandemic experience. Through DivEx, he had the chance to speak with professors and current students and to learn more about the resources available at Harvard. He would be more than happy to speak with any Santa Clara students interested in applying to the DivEx program in the future. Finally, Ramon would like to thank Professors Sarita Tamayo-Moraga, Paul Schutz, Akiba Lerner, Roberto Mata, and David Gray for supporting him during his graduate school application process.