From the president
Lily Feng is a third-year International Relations major at Tufts University who is committed to addressing structural injustice and supporting marginalized communities. As an incoming student, Lily participated in the Tufts Civic Semester program, which gave her a nuanced perspective of different models of community development, organizing, and advocacy, all of which she has applied to her subsequent studies at Tufts. Lily is a Tisch College Scholar, a Tisch Summer Fellow, and a Laidlaw Scholar. Through these highly selective academic, public service, and leadership programs, Lily has honed her listening, research, and organizing skills in support of vulnerable populations. Outside of these commitments, Lily volunteers with shelters in both Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Oxford, UK. Her approach to public service balances theory and practice, combining the rare gifts of exceptional listening skills with advanced analysis. Lily’s commitment to working directly with marginalized communities and building strong relationships ensures that what she hears from those most impacted by systemic injustice will inform her goals for policy reform.
Personal Statement
I believe relationships are at the foundation of creating positive social change. Those committed to social justice and public service must continuously ground themselves and their work in the people they are committed to serving. This belief is what drove me to spend my first college semester on the Tufts Civic Semester with communities in the American Southwest that are most impacted by systemic injustices and faults within our institutional structures. Learning from the experiences of community members and developing relationships with the individuals working on the ground to combat the issues their communities face was critical to informing my understanding of these challenges and the solutions meant to address them. This experience has strengthened my desire to continue working with communities and has shaped my time in university working with community organizations through the Tisch Scholars Program and using research and leadership to bring knowledge and resources to communities in the Greater Boston area as a Laidlaw Scholar. In the future, I hope to shape my work in public service around building relationships and working in collaboration with communities to listen to their needs and best address the structural injustices they face.