Preston Mills, Tulane University

Preston is a junior studying Mathematics, Sociology, and Cognitive Studies with a minor in Psychology. From Southern California, Preston’s passion has consistently been to bridge various identities, communities, and institutions together to create powerful collaborations that last for many years to come. He is a Senator for the Undergraduate Student Government, President of Finding Intersectionality Together, Treasurer of both the Black Student Union and GENTE, a POSSE Scholar, and Community Engagement Advocate for the Center of Public Service. As a Heim Service Fellow, Preston helps connect students to various engagement opportunities.
-Michael Fitts, President

My community’s success is contingent upon the support we give to one another. Coming from a high school where only 50% of African-American males are predicted to graduate and a family that struggles with legal status as well as systemic poverty, my service could not be an option if my goal was to succeed—it was a necessity that has left a profound influence on my career as an engaged student. Now at Tulane, I have had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of how community service and social consciousness come together. Serving as president of the student-organization “Finding Intersectionality Together”, recipient of the Heim Service Fellowship, and founding member of the Community Engagement Advocates I strive to bring an awareness of the economic, social, and political dynamics that play into the service that we do as a university. I have tutored english to native spanish speakers, developed and fundraised for an intersectionality leadership retreat for underclassmen, and served on the President’s Student Experience Task Force assist in student engagement. My Tulane community helps our New Orleans community and if my goal is to succeed, then my New Orleans community must be supported by my engaged college peers.
-Preston Mills