From the president
Emily Hanrahan, a Human Development and Human Services major at Merrimack College, is a student leader whose work is driven by the belief that community organizing is a critical first step for addressing social injustices. Emily is a member of the Austin Scholars program, a student group committed to serving others, where she now serves as the Chair of Mission. In addition, she serves on several service-oriented committees focused on addressing food insecurity, providing resources for children in foster care, and working with underserved preschool children as a mentor and tutor.
Personal Statement
Community organizing is always my first step into addressing the root cause of social issues. It's important that everyone feels their voices are being heard, and without forming a community I wouldn’t be able to know if people were feeling heard. With community comes shared experiences and shared experiences allow people to feel seen and supported and not feel alone. My goal has always been to find the best way to establish a strong community that allows people to feel safe enough to discuss their issues and concerns and also their opinions on how they think they could help. Advocating for people is hard if you don't have the loudest voice,but if you have a strong community that is determined to make a difference and use their voices to help give those without one, a voice is just so powerful. Just listening and being open to change is a huge first step when it comes to addressing issues. We don't always have answers for issues, but together you have a better chance at finding one.