Dr. Kimm Topping

Instructor

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Biography

Kimm Topping is an educator, writer, historian, and community organizer specializing in gender, sexuality, and equity. They are the founder of Lavender Education, a national program focused on celebrating LGBTQIA+ history, education, and youth leadership. Topping actively works to build confidence and empower social change, having spent ten years collaborating with schools and organizations to create inclusive, liberatory spaces where LGBTQ+ youth can thrive. Before founding Lavender Education, Topping managed the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ+ students in Massachusetts under the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). They are currently an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2023, Topping received the inaugural in-service award from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, recognizing their decade of service to Boston's transgender community. Their upcoming non-fiction book, 'Generation Queer', which highlights the stories of LGBTQIA+ youth activists, will be published by Tu Books, an imprint of Lee & Low Books, in 2025. Additionally, Topping's historic work includes walking tours in Cambridge and New York City centered on queer feminist activism from the 1970s to 1990s. Their series of publications, 'Mapping Feminist Cambridge', is available for free through the Cambridge Women’s Commission.

Research Interests

Requirements for Harvard Graduate School of Education

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Listening
Required:26
Reading
Required:26
Writing
Required:26
Speaking
Required:26
Total
Required:104
IELTS
Listening
Required:7.5
Reading
Required:7.5
Writing
Required:7.5
Speaking
Required:7.5
Overall
Required:7.5
GRE General
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent
Application Checklist
  • Online Application Form
  • Statement of Purpose (1000 words)
  • Personal Statement
  • Resume or CV
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Transcripts from each postsecondary institution
  • Writing Sample
  • Application Fee ($105)
Specialization Notes

Administered via Harvard Griffin GSAS; encompasses PhD in Education.