WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT QUALITY OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER?

"As a leader, I prize my empathy, humility, collaboration, and social justice. I think they are perhaps the most important values for any person to have, and I would love to build them through the program. I have been drawn to civil dialogue and advocacy as a means of expressing these values...I believe in the causes I care about deeply, as I see them as intimately connected to people’s dignity and flourishing. This means that other perspectives can often feel like an affront to not only my own beliefs, but the people whose rights are at issue. However, I believe that as long as a discussion is kept civil and respectful, a diversity of perspectives and lived experiences enriches our understanding of key issues."

WHAT'S A COMMUNITY-BASED ISSUE THAT YOU CARE ABOUT?

"Inspired by the experiences of my primarily women and gender-diverse mentees, I have been working with the head of the Gender Based Violence Prevention (GBVP) team to update orientation programming and with SARU to support survivors and raise awareness about genderbased violence. As a civic fellow, I am working on a project to support immigrants in Baltimore in collaboration with community leaders. As Hopkins is unfortunately often disconnected from the broader Baltimore community, working with community leaders has helped me understand the challenges the community faces and the support they need."

TELL US ABOUT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE THAT INSPIRES YOU?

"As a feminist, I deeply admire Gloria Steinem, who argued that 'A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.' While I am not a survivor nor an immigrant, I have many in my life and feel an obligation to care and advocate for all human beings who are experiencing harm. Ultimately, what unites us all is our capacity to feel pain. We are all deserving dignity and joy by rite of our shared humanity, and we must fight to ensure everyone shares the blessings of it. I intend to be a leader through research, investigating the intersection of public opinion and gender equality. By engaging in civil dialogue, I hope to better understand movements advocating for regressive policies and how they impact marginalized communities. I will use my advocacy and research to change how movements can understand and advocate for progressive policies, especially for survivor justice."