Lisa Nikodem is the director of organizing at Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action. The below comments were obtained shortly after the completion of her undergraduate degree while she was the administrative assistant for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
“I work with the student chapters of USPIRG, training students on college campuses all across the country to be effective participants in political and social issues. I track and analyze the work done on campuses across the country, direct summer campaign offices, and help run the national campaign to end taxpayer subsidies to big agribusiness. I have worked on campaigns to register student voters, improve public transit in the Midwest, and stop sewage pollution in Lake Michigan. The UIUC History program trained me for a career as a political activist by giving me a deep understanding of U.S. culture and the politics of the past while also teaching me to think critically and analytically about the world around me.”