Rachel Wallisky
SUNY Geneseo
Rachel A. Wallisky, a third-year student at SUNY Geneseo, is a student leader actively addressing issues of voting rights and civic engagement. For over two years, Rachel has worked collaboratively with our local community, multiple offices on-campus, and national organizations to create the Geneseo Votes Coalition (GVC). The GVC is a student-led group of civically-minded student organizations and community leaders dedicated to fostering civic responsibility. Her work through the GVC and Andrew Goodman Foundation centers on advocating for voting rights on-campus. Through these organizations, she has directly addressed voting rights issues through organizing voter registration drives, educational workshops, tabling efforts, and events at our on-campus poll site. Rachel is currently working with the local community, College administration, and her fellow students to explore possibilities for changing the location of our on-campus polling site and creating systems for students to more effectively vote in our local elections.
Personal Statement
I am privileged to serve my community and actively encourage my peers to do the same. As an Andrew Goodman Ambassador, I approach my work from a constructivist perspective, engaging in collaborative conversations on-campus and within the surrounding community. Through this ongoing dialectic – I get to know them personally, seek to understand the issues that matter the most to them, and work to address those issues. The Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF) team has formed the Geneseo Votes Coalition (GVC), a student-led group of civically engaged student organizations and Geneseo community members passionate about student engagement.Together, the GVC has focused on the alleviation of civic injustice in our shared community. When all of our voices are heard and accounted for, the world becomes a better informed and more inclusive environment. I believe that through the creation of such conditions, we can demand justice and equality wherever we are. I believe that I am an activist because I have to be. From a young age, I was taught to speak up against injustice. My work as a Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development (GOLD) Leader Mentor provides me with a chance to lead by example and sharing my passion for social justice.
