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What do Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Justice Samuel Alito have in common with Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor? It certainly is not an ideology. It is an Ivy League university.

Cruz, Alito, Kagan and Sotomayor all graduated from Princeton.

So, what do Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and former Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) have in common with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)? DeSantis, Ashcroft, Klobuchar and Kerry all graduated from Yale.

Then you have what Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) have in common with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Again, it is certainly not an ideology, but an Ivy League university. Cotton, Sasse, Jackson and Blumenthal all graduated from Harvard.

So, are the graduates of Harvard, Yale and Princeton liberal or conservative? Clearly, they are both.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family recently took a trip to Boston and visited Harvard. The journey was recorded on video for the second episode of his "Great American Road Trip" series, which was released last week.

The video begins with Duffy talking with his daughter Paloma about this trip the family will be taking to Boston, where they plan to visit both Harvard and Boston College, a Catholic university run by the Jesuits. Duffy explains to Paloma why he does not want her to go to Harvard.

"Let's say you got into Harvard, would you be pushing us to actually have you go?" the secretary of transportation says to his daughter.

"Probably," she says, "because if I don't get in, I kind of, like, accept it. I'm not going to be upset. But, if I do get in, I feel like you can't say no."

"To Harvard," said Duffy. "Well, me and mom can say no."

Rachel Duffy, the secretary's wife, then explains her position on this.

"Catholicism, to us, is everything," she said. "It's the basis of our marriage. It's the basis of our family. So, I am nervous about the idea of Paloma going to Harvard. We spend a lot of time nurturing and providing formation for our kids. Giving them an environment where they are steeped in faith, values. So, the idea of dropping her off at a place that would undermine that, or try to undo all those things, makes me worried."

The secretary agreed with his wife.

"If I send you there, I think what happens is, they have professionalized figuring out how they can take good young girls like you and, I think, corrupt their minds," said Duffy. "You don't have to believe what I believe. You don't have to have the political viewpoints that I have. But I do think it's important that you make those sources for yourself and you have a fair representation of what they are. And I don't think the Harvards of the world give you that kind of well-rounded picture."

The daughter sympathized with her parents but did not agree.

"I understand where they're coming from," she said. "I just think they're kind of being dramatic and close-minded. I don't think it's going to undo 17 years of them parenting me. I hope they'll be a little more open-minded once we see Harvard."

When the Duffy family arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they met with Father Nathaniel Sanders, the undergraduate chaplain for the Harvard Catholic Center. The secretary asked this priest to talk about "what the Catholic life is" at Harvard.

"Sure," said Father Sanders.

Paloma's sister Evita Duffy (who went to the University of Chicago) then spoke up. "To be completely transparent," she said, "I think Mom and Dad would rather Paloma go to a Catholic school. ... So, what is the Catholic culture like?"

"I think we have the best, the best Catholic center in the country," said Father Sanders. "So, you should come here."

"Why do you say that?" asked Rachel Duffy.

"Student involvement," said the priest. "But the biggest one is conversion rate. We have the largest class of people becoming Catholic in our history this year. We'll have 80 people entering the church, So, there's something really exciting here. Student mass attendance is great right now, definitely up 10 to 20% over the last couple of years. Because of the fact that we have, like, very high-achieving intelligent students, the Catholic Center has a different feel. We can give talks on a range of issues, and the students ask great questions. I'm really grateful for what God is doing here."

Later in the conversation, Secretary Duffy asked Father Sanders, "So, you're saying there is a culture that she could seek out that would match the way she's been raised?"

"Yes," said Father Sanders, "and not only just a culture, I think it's a very strong flourishing Catholic culture on campus. The students are wonderful. And you can see the faith growing in students during their time here. If they're confident enough in their faith that the first time it's challenged in class, they're not going to have an existential crisis, and they have the social skills to thrive at Harvard. And, if you get into Harvard, you probably have the social skills to thrive here. But, if those things are set, I do think this is probably the best place for a young Catholic kid."

At the end of the Duffy family's conversation with this chaplain, the secretary showed some change of heart. "We are so grateful that you took the time to talk to us and actually give some hope, for what you built here at Harvard for young Catholics attending is remarkable."

"If you want to build a great experience at Harvard, it appears that you can do that," Duffy said.

That is true.

To find out more about Terence P. Jeffrey and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

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