Story #15: Christian Starling on the Revolutionary Effects of Education

Christian Starling ’10 is proudly from Detroit, Michigan, where his family centered service “in every way.” At Harvard, he became deeply involved with PBHA — serving as a student officer, directing several programs, and working at the homeless shelter. Since graduating, Christian’s work in public service has not ended.

“If I had one takeaway from it, it is to not let it end,” Christian said of public service and PBHA. 

Now, Christian is the founding director for the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in London — a semester school for high school juniors —, creating transformative opportunities for students. 

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Christian’s family had always dedicated themselves to service. A central part of Christian’s application to Harvard was summer and youth programs that he and his family had run to minimize summer learning loss and violence. 

“That was just the context and culture. The way of being — whatever you want to call it,” he said of public service. 

So when he arrived at Harvard for Pre-Frosh Weekend — a weekend of programming, now known as Visitas, where admitted high schoolers visit Harvard campus — and his host, Chimaobi Amutah ’07, told him about the Mission Hill Afterschool Program, Christian was sold. 

“I said, ‘wow, that sounds like home! Sounds like my context. Sounds familiar,’” he said. “The rest was history.” 

Christian would go on to become the director for Mission Hill Summer Program, Mission Mentors, and Alternative Spring Break, as well as a coordinator for UniLu — an abbreviation for the homeless shelter housed in University Lutheran Church, now known as Harvard Square Homeless Shelter — and PBHA’s Student Development Chair.

During his volunteer work, Christian became deeply grounded in the community he served and those that he worked with. 

At Mission Hill, Christian was blown away by how amazing the youth he worked with were — “incredible, brave, and deserving of my time.” 

As a student, Christian hosted an open mic event in PBHA’s Parlor Room. As nearly 100 people poured into the wood-paneled room, Christian felt at home. 

“I remember looking around and I had this feeling that the Parlor would be my living room forever,” he said. “Like this was — this was always home.” 

The same people Christian worked with at PBHA attended his wedding. Now, they pour into the living room in his house and discuss the commitment that they have made to a life of service — a decision that they made as teenagers. 

Since graduating, Christian taught at the Community Charter School of Cambridge and with Citizen Schools and was the director for the School for Ethics and Global Leadership’s (SEGL) Washington, D.C., campus. 

Now, Christian is the founding director at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in London. Previously, he was the director for SEGL’s Washington, D.C. campus and taught at the Community Charter School of Cambridge and with Citizen Schools. Christian transformed SEGL’s London campus from a summer program into a full time campus. Most SEGL students receive financial aid or are people of color — kids like Christian, he said.

“I take kids like me and I give them options,” he said.

Christian believes that education is “the revolutionary act,” presenting students with the “opportunity to have an epiphany.” As a teacher and a director, Christian has committed to delivering these “a-ha” opportunities to students who would not ordinarily receive them and to support them throughout the process. 

“I create situations where they can create these moments for themselves and I have their back – until they want me to not have their back anymore,” Christian said.

Written by Darcy Lin '27