'I graduated with C's and D's': Harvard PhD's reminder that grades don't define future

When Dr. Joel Tan stepped up to the podium at the 2026 Harvard Medical School-Affiliated PhD Programs Hooding Ceremony, he began with something far more personal."I graduated high school with C's and D's."It was a sentence that instantly cut through the polished celebration of graduation. Here was a newly minted Harvard PhD admitting, in front of professors, classmates and families, that there was a time when he was made to believe higher education simply wasn't for him."I was told that higher education is probably not the right path for me"Growing up in Singapore, Tan said he always wanted to study biology. But the opportunity never came. "In high school, I really wanted to study biology, but I was told many, many times that it was not a realistic path for me," he said.