Mikva inspired me to think critically and be civically involved in order to make a difference – and work to exemplify what it means when we say, ‘Democracy is a Verb.'
Lilly first participated in Mikva Challenge in 2007, introduced to Mikva by her teacher. While involved with Mikva, Lilly was active in the Election In Actions (EIA) program where she learned how to phone bank, canvass neighborhoods, and enter data. Volunteering at Mikva became an everyday activity because she fell in love with the process of researching and educating. Lilly began spending so much time volunteering with Mikva, the staff decided to hire her as a student intern. During this time she had the experience of attending campaign trips to South Bend, IN and Kenosha, WI. She also participated in working on a local senatorial campaign that year.
Lilly described her Mikva experience as the foundation for her career: “Mikva inspired me to think critically and be civically involved in order to make a difference – and work to exemplify what it means when we say, ‘Democracy is a Verb.’ I’ve held onto Mikva’s values as well as lessons learned from my campaign experiences in order to stay civically engaged and adapt my skills to local government, agency, philanthropy, and corporate sectors.”
Through her time with Mikva, Lilly met positive influencers – including Anna Valencia who encouraged her to apply her skills acquired through Mikva to explore a career in communications. After graduating from Carleton College, Lilly came back to Chicago where she acted as a senior press and communications intern for the office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel – and earned the Posse Foundation’s Summer Leadership Award. Lilly also later trained in public affairs with the firm ASGK Strategies, now Kivvit. From there she held her first full time position in policy reform with the Joyce Foundation; Lilly now works with Vivid Seats as the Corporate Communications Specialist, and serves on the Associate Board at Navy Pier.
