Abby Golfo, SUNY Geneseo
Abby Golfo is a junior communication and sociology double major. As an active student leader at SUNY Geneseo, she works to bring forth social change. For the past three years, Abby has been involved with Peace Action Geneseo, an organization that works to build a human rights culture through education and public outreach. As the secretary and designer of the organization, she has attended conferences and rallies dealing with environmental concerns and military spending. This passion for creating a more peaceful world through positive action also includes helping to organize social justice speaker events, registering voters, raising money for Syrian refugees, and writing to politicians about issues that threaten the well being of human lives. Along with peace, Abby focuses on issues of marginalization and identity as a Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development mentor and Geneseo Interfaith Service Project committee member. She believes in the power of community, collaboration, and service to break down barriers. She is a Community Service Assistant in the SUNY Geneseo Volunteer Center and a participant in the service-learning and cultural competency course known as Real World Geneseo. Abby hopes to use her skills as a graphic designer and videographer to spread awareness about social issues.
-Carol Long, Interim President
In retrospect, civic involvement has been at the root of many of my life’s activities. From a young age, I learned about and addressed issues affecting the well-being of humans and communities. Since the start of college, I have honed in on social justice and human rights. I seek to “know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others,” as stated by scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson. I do this by engaging and promoting human rights dialogue as the secretary and designer of Peace Action Geneseo. By inviting activists to speak, screening movies, writing letters to politicians, attending conferences, and protesting injustices, I have learned the power of educated collaboration and action. I supplement this action with sociology coursework, as well as taking and hosting civic engagement and cultural competency workshops as a Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development mentor. These experiences have allowed me to be both compassionate and critical about the world and information around me. I am focused on using my graphic design and videography skills to spread awareness about ideas in order to make change happen. My goal is to continue making the connection between education and actuation through community.
-Abby Golfo
