In 2023, Army Captain Ryan Gunderman was Harvard Law School’s golden example of public service in uniform. A West Point graduate and Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, Gunderman was celebrated for his legal work on behalf of the underserved and his ambition to reform the military justice system. Harvard named him the recipient of the school’s prestigious William J. Stuntz Memorial Award for Justice, Human Dignity, and Compassion—an honor bestowed on the student who most exemplifies a deep commitment to justice and respect for human dignity.
Now, that praise appears to have vanished.
The article announcing Gunderman’s award—“Ryan Gunderman named winner of Stuntz Award”, published May 18, 2023—has quietly disappeared from Harvard Law’s website. The school’s X (formerly Twitter) account had publicly shared the news at the time, writing:
“Ryan lives and breathes compassion and justice in his work in and out of the courtroom.” Ryan Gunderman ’23 was named the 2023 winner of the William J. Stuntz Memorial Award for Justice, Human Dignity, and Compassion. http://hvrdlaw.me/xIn050OsbQR — Harvard Law School, May 19, 2023
As of today, the original link is dead. Meanwhile, award announcements for the 2022 and 2024 recipients of the Stuntz Award remain published and fully accessible on the school’s official site. Only Gunderman’s appears to have been removed.
That isn’t the only deletion. Another feature titled “It Was One of the Main Reasons I Wanted to Become a JAG”, which chronicled Gunderman’s path from Army intelligence officer to legal advocate, was also erased. That article, once promoted by Harvard Law’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, celebrated his restorative justice work and ambitions to challenge systemic inequalities within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Screenshot of Harvard’s Facebook post
At the time, Gunderman was pictured with a beard and male presentation—his transition had not yet begun. But less than a year after graduation, everything changed.
A Family of High Achievers
Gunderman’s accomplishments were no isolated feat. In 2015, he and his twin sisters, Celine and Whitney, made headlines as all three siblings were accepted into West Point—an extraordinarily rare achievement for any family. They were all nominated by the same Democratic member of Congress, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who publicly praised their upbringing and commitment to service.
The twins expressed hope that their acceptance would inspire young girls and African-American students across Florida. “I hope that we can have that same influence on others to challenge themselves,” said Celine. Their Ugandan-born mother emphasized service and gratitude to country as core family values. “The ability to serve and give back to a country that has given them so much, that’s the greatest accomplishment they can have,” she said at the time.
Ryan, Celine, and Whitney later appeared together in a 2016 U.S. Army feature article titled “All in the Family: Three Siblings Take on Postcolonial Studies.” The piece documented their shared enrollment in a postcolonial literature course at West Point, where the trio engaged deeply in classroom discussion around race, culture, and colonial legacies—all topics that echoed through their own lived experiences and academic interests.
Then-Army Cadets Ryan, Celiné and Whitney Gunderman pictured in 2016. (US ARMY)
“The idea of postcolonial culture and race is something that definitely concerns us,” Ryan said in the article. “It’s something we’ve touched on in casual conversation for years, and this class gave us the opportunity to dive into it together in an academic setting.”
Their professor, Col. John Nelson, praised all three cadets for their depth of thought and ability to empathize through literature. “They are all wonderful students, deep thinkers, and insightful speakers about literature,” he said. “They feed off each other and the other students in class too.”
Today, that article remains publicly available on official Army channels—alongside a West Point admissions video in which Gunderman was also featured as a cadet success story. As of this publication, the video is still live on West Point’s official YouTube channel. In contrast, Harvard Law’s erasure of Gunderman’s accolades stands out even more starkly.
Forced Exit from Service
While stationed in Hawaii in 2024, Gunderman began transitioning to female after years of private reflection. “I knew it was something I needed to do,” she said. “If I didn’t, it would be even more difficult for me in the future.”
Left: Ryan Gunderman and then-fiancé celebrate on the field after Army’s victory at the 2016 Army-Navy Game. Right: Gunderman’s current LinkedIn profile photo.
That decision coincided with the reinstatement of a Trump-era Department of Defense policy barring openly transgender individuals from serving in the military. In May 2025, Gunderman resigned rather than face forced separation.
“The last few months have been cloaked in uncertainty,” she said. “I was on the cusp of being able to serve as who I am.”
Gunderman’s military career—like her academic one—was defined by service, discipline, and intellectual rigor. But both institutions that once celebrated her achievements have responded differently to her transition. The U.S. Army has left its material intact. Harvard Law, by contrast, appears to have quietly distanced itself.
The Salty Soldier reached out to Harvard Law School’s Public Information Office to ask why Gunderman’s award announcement and profile were removed, while the pages for other students remain online. As of publication, the school has not responded.
Still Committed to Service
Despite the setbacks, Gunderman plans to continue serving her country—this time in the civilian legal system. She intends to become a public defender with a focus on death penalty litigation and systemic justice reform.
“I still want to serve,” she told Hawaii News Now this week. “I still want to serve people. I still want to serve this country.”
But the erasure of their achievements by the very school that once celebrated her raises uncomfortable questions: Does Harvard still stand behind the values of justice, dignity, and compassion it so eagerly associated with Gunderman—only until he identified as a woman?
According to Harvard University, they maintain a strong stance on inclusion and non-discrimination, particularly regarding gender identity.
Editor’s Note: This story will be updated if Harvard Law School provides a statement regarding the removal of Captain Gunderman’s published profiles and award recognition.
