--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years…" description: "\"I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was a girl from Sunderland who hadn't got into Oxford or Cambridge, even though she'd got perfect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg" --- # I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was… ![“I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was a girl from Sunderland who hadn't got into Oxford or Cambridge, even though she'd got perfect A-levels. Harvard asked me to come and recruit her because I was recruited out of university by Harvard - they were trying to show that people…” quote by Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg) > “I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was a girl from Sunderland who hadn't got into Oxford or Cambridge, even though she'd got perfect A-levels. Harvard asked me to come and recruit her because I was recruited out of university by Harvard - they were trying to show that people could make it.” [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights how elite institutions use exceptional cases to promote diversity and inspire others, even when those cases are atypical. **In simple terms:** Harvard showcased a standout student to prove anyone can succeed. Key Takeaway Use visible role models to encourage broader participation. Themes diversity inspiration education meritocracy Mood optimistic reflective Type motivational analytical When to use this quote - college recruitment - career counseling - mentoring programs - public relations campaigns Key Concepts social proof institutional branding psychology of aspiration Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions balance showcasing outliers with addressing broader inequities? - What impact does a single success story have on wider audiences? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic barriers that still exist for most candidates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [I got a wonderful college education. I went to Harvard. In those four years I accumulated a lot of knowledge but I also created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-got-a-wonderful-college-education-i-went-to-harvard-in-those-four/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [Even when I was being recruited here to the University of Virginia, a lot of people in my own community didn't think I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-long/even-when-i-was-being-recruited-here-to-the-university-of-virginia-a/) [Chris Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-long/) > [“At Harvard I learned most uncomfortably that facts are facts. In Italy I learned that facts are the way you look at them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-faolain-2/at-harvard-i-learned-most-uncomfortably-that-facts-are-facts-in-italy/) [Sean O'Faolain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-faolain-2/) > [In 2002, Google began an ambitious project to digitize every book in the world. It was intended as a search project: type in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/in-2002-google-began-an-ambitious-project-to-digitize-every-book-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [I don't believe I'll ever get credit for anything I do in foreign affairs, no matter how successful it is, because I didn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-don-t-believe-i-ll-ever-get-credit-for-anything-i-do-in-foreign/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [“Holy freaking moly! Harvard really was well endowed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-silber/holy-freaking-moly-harvard-really-was-well-endowed/) [N.M. Silber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-silber/) > [My undergraduate studies at Brown and graduate degrees from Harvard prepared me for a multifaceted career as an actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hill-harper/my-undergraduate-studies-at-brown-and-graduate-degrees-from-harvard/) [Hill Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hill-harper/) > [When one considers our nation's educational foundations - Harvard, Yale, Princeton and most of our respected institutions were originally Christian - it becomes evident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-falwell/when-one-considers-our-nation-s-educational-foundations-harvard-yale/) [Jonathan Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-falwell/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [It's important to make clear to all the schools at Harvard the central role of the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/it-s-important-to-make-clear-to-all-the-schools-at-harvard-the/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/while-living-in-america-when-i-attended-harvard-in-the-early-1970s-i/) [Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More by Fiona Hill > [The Cold War was obviously driven by a very intense ideological struggle that was very clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-cold-war-was-obviously-driven-by-a-very-intense-ideological/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [Outside of the Moscow elite and a very small urban elite, Russia is one great big blue-collar country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/outside-of-the-moscow-elite-and-a-very-small-urban-elite-russia-is/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [People in Washington, D.C., may not be paying that much attention to what's happening in Chechnya, but people in Riyadh and Amman and elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/people-in-washington-d-c-may-not-be-paying-that-much-attention-to/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I have worked hard and emigrated to the U.S., and I think of myself as working class but I'm probably not any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-have-worked-hard-and-emigrated-to-the-u-s-and-i-think-of-myself-as/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [We've got ourselves into a situation where government service is somehow seen to be a political act rather than an act of civic duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/we-ve-got-ourselves-into-a-situation-where-government-service-is/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [For Putin, Syria is all too reminiscent of Chechnya. Both conflicts pitted the state against disparate and leaderless opposition forces, which over time came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/for-putin-syria-is-all-too-reminiscent-of-chechnya-both-conflicts/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [The Russians didn't invent partisan divides. The Russians haven't invented racism in the United States. But the Russians understand a lot of those divisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-russians-didn-t-invent-partisan-divides-the-russians-haven-t/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [New ties between Russia and Japan would mark not only a breakthrough in their relations but also a significant shift in Northeast Asia's political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/new-ties-between-russia-and-japan-would-mark-not-only-a-breakthrough/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [In the instance of Iran for Russia, Iran is a very important counterweight to the Sunni Muslim powers in the Gulf, but Russia's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/in-the-instance-of-iran-for-russia-iran-is-a-very-important/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [The idea is that Putin-Trump would be a win-win for the Kremlin, as they have mutual interests and alliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-idea-is-that-putin-trump-would-be-a-win-win-for-the-kremlin-as/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [You could say that by standing up to Russia, the U.S. is finally getting some balls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/you-could-say-that-by-standing-up-to-russia-the-u-s-is-finally/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [So with President Obama, he's a very different style. Very thoughtful, posed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/so-with-president-obama-he-s-a-very-different-style-very-thoughtful/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [Because the more you engage with someone who is spreading untruths, the more validity you give to those untruths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/because-the-more-you-engage-with-someone-who-is-spreading-untruths/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-grew-up-poor-with-a-very-distinctive-working-class-accent-in/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I am very confident based on all of the analysis that has been done - and, again, I don't want to start getting into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-am-very-confident-based-on-all-of-the-analysis-that-has-been-done/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) [Explore all 68 Fiona Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) ## More Girl quotes > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [In 1990, when they asked me to shoot a cover for 'British Vogue' to convey my personal vision of a woman, I explained that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lindbergh/in-1990-when-they-asked-me-to-shoot-a-cover-for-british-vogue-to/) [Peter Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lindbergh/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [BOY: what do u want more than anything? GIRL: to stand in the middle of the street in the pouring rain and have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana13/boy-what-do-u-want-more-than-anything-girl-to-stand-in-the-middle-of/) [Ana13](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana13/) > [I'm just a girl trying to find a way in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-just-a-girl-trying-to-find-a-way-in-this-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I want a man that when I come running up to him with tears running down my face, the first thing he says is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-a-man-that-when-i-come-running-up-to-him-with-tears-running/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [New Girl' is always a top priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/new-girl-is-always-a-top-priority/) [Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) [Browse all 19,043 Girl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was a girl from Sunderland who hadn't got into Oxford or Cambridge, even though she'd got perfect A-levels. Harvard asked me to come and recruit her because I was recruited out of university by Harvard - they were trying to show that people could make it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fiona Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years-later-there-was-a-girl-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Girl" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years-later-there-was-a-girl-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/fiona-hill-10019_girl_i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years_2478823.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I got a PhD from Harvard and a few years later, there was a girl from Sunderland who hadn't got into Oxford…” — Fiona Hill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Fiona Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I got a PhD from Harvard...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years-later-there-was-a-girl-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-got-a-phd-from-harvard-and-a-few-years-later-there-was-a-girl-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```