Jonathan Butler

Classroom

Jonathan Butler, who is on pace to graduate from Harvard, is pursuing a concentration in economics with a minor in government and a citation in Spanish. When he graduates from Harvard, Butler will begin a career as an investment banking analyst this summer in New York, N.Y.

Character

Butler is the unquestioned leader of Harvard men’s lacrosse as he was voted senior captain by his teammates, while also being elected to the team’s Leadership Council his first three seasons on campus. In his freshman year, he suffered a broken wrist, which forced him to miss four games. Butler revealed his character and toughness by returning from the injury to start the next three games on defense. His toughness is routinely on display as Butler is a leader among his peers, constantly staying after practice and in the gym to do extra work and watching film in small groups.

Community

Butler has been involved in various community service projects and has made a positive impact during his time at Harvard. The senior has volunteered with Team Impact, which is an organization that pairs kids with life-threatening illnesses with college sports teams. While with Team Impact, Butler and his teammates began a relationship with a young man who underwent numerous brain surgeries and spent time with him at different venues, including his birthday party, local baseball games and a Boston Red Sox game. Butler also made positive contributions to the campus community by volunteering at a local homeless shelter in Cambridge, Massachusetts, preparing breakfasts. In terms of growing the game of lacrosse, Butler has helped organize youth clinics with Harlem Lacrosse and Hoboken Lacrosse for underprivileged youth. This past fall, meanwhile, Butler and his teammates participated in the Bike to the Beach 100-mile bike race from Boston to Newport (RI) to help autism awareness. Butler’s team raised $3,000 for the cause.

Competition

Butler has seen action in 36 games in his career and enters his senior campaign having made 26 consecutive starts on defense. Hailing from Summit, New Jersey, Butler earned second-team All-Ivy League honors as a sophomore when he led the Crimson in caused turnovers (15), while ranking tied for fourth in ground balls (25). Last year as a junior, Butler once again led the team with 15 caused turnovers and had the third-most ground balls (22). Circling back around to his first year on campus, Butler’s season was derailed temporarily due to injury, but he still managed to play 10 games with a considerable amount of time spent at long-stick middle.

*All stats as of nomination time.