Jessica Cox, Mount Mary College

Jessica Cox, an Occupational Therapy major at Mount Mary College, has developed a passion for civic engagement. During the 2011-2012 academic year, Jessica worked with a local organization, Campaign Against Violence. While there, she primarily engaged young, inner city teens in activities that would provide them with a better foundation for their future. One aspect of the youth work, voter education, became a focus for Jessica. During the 2012-2013 school year, Jessica is leading a group of Mount Mary students who provide voter education to students, bring speakers to campus to discuss the importance of voting, enable students to register to vote, and organize rides to voting locations. Jessica was the hub for voting information in the fall and could not walk down a hallway without students asking her questions about the fall election. She continues to provide information on upcoming elections and engaging students in discussions of local issues, as they relate to policies and politics. Jessica’s passion for voter rights will clearly continue into the future and she will continue to empower others to be a positive force in their community.