Harvard College has been in existence for close to 400 years, and now has its first Black female president. Political scientist Claudine Gay became the 30th head of the prestigious university, and the second woman to lead the school.

The Stanford graduate, who is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1988. Her past political research focused on the role of neighborhoods in shaping the racial and political attitudes of Black Americans and how poverty shapes the political attitudes of people and their commitments to politics.

“The biggest takeaway from my own research is just how important it is for people to feel seen and heard,” Gay said in a recent interview. “Even when they disagree, it is critically important for their values, interests and preferences to be recognized by leadership and integrated into the thinking of leaders.”

She takes up the role during an especially difficult time, where Harvard was the defendant in a Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action in admissions. In addition, Gay will be thrust head-on into the argument around eliminating legacy admissions, a cornerstone of many elite colleges and universities.

During her invocation speech, Gay mentioned that her inauguration was taking place not far from where a former president of the university owned slaves.

“Their courage, that courage, is what I want to reflect on today: The courage of this university — our resolve, against all odds — to question the world as it is, and imagine and make a better one. It is what Harvard was made to do. Let us be courageous together.”