Student leader spearheads civic engagement

It’s the morning of the 2022 midterm election, a day Lehigh students and Bethlehem residents have been anxiously anticipating. The polls opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m., giving people 14 hours to make it to their respective polling stations to cast their votes and receive their oval-shaped “I Voted” stickers. 

As voters waited in long lines and tugged polling booth curtains closed, organizations on campus hosted events to engage students in civic-minded discussions, all a part of an annual tradition on Lehigh’s campus on the first Tuesday of every November — Civic Engagement Day.

Lehigh implemented Civic Engagement Day in 2021 to encourage student involvement in government by giving them a day off from classes to go vote and attend events. 

While some students sat in the back of a large classroom in Neville Hall, listening intently to a debate about self-censorship and free speech between the Lehigh College Democrats and Republicans, Julie Wright, ‘26, had other plans. 

When recovering from her third iteration of the common cold that semester, Wright couldn’t shake her curiosity for politics, and after she cast her vote, she drove with her friends to Montgomery County — her hometown — to attend an election party where Gov. Josh Shapiro was announced as the winner of Pennsylvania’s governor race.

It wasn’t long after that Pennsylvania bled blue with democratic candidates winning the race for governor, U.S. Senate and District 7 House Representative. 

In the wake of these wins, Wright became a member of the College Democrats chapter at Lehigh.

“College Democrats ran their executive board elections at the same time during the midterm elections in 2022,” Wright said. “It was my first semester at college, so I wasn’t even sure I would get a position, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, and I ended up becoming the social media chair. It was my first leadership position in college too.”

Now a junior, she’s presided over the College Democrats as president for the past year. 

From observer to leader, Wright dedicates herself to engaging and registering students for the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 5.

This passion for politics has guided nearly every decision she’s made as a college student.  

From interning with Gov. Shapiro’s deputy chief of staff over the summer to leading Pennsylvania College Democrats as its president — in addition to leading the Lehigh chapter — to expanding her political interests to the international arena as an intern for the Lehigh University/UN Partnership, Wright has sought experiences that build her political portfolio and skills as a future leader. 

Jack Ciavolella, ‘26, a history major with minors in political science and international relations,  works closely with Wright as the vice president of the Lehigh College Democrats.

When thinking of how to characterize Wright’s involvement in politics, he said she does “a hell of a lot of stuff with political organizing.” 

Ciavolella added Wright provides him with the information to make the connections he needs, and she spearheads almost all of the operations within the club. 

“(Wright’s) role as the president of the Lehigh Democrats — especially in addition to being the president of Pennsylvania College Democrats — is critical,” Ciavolella said. “It kind of puts us in context of all the other different democratic organizations, and while it takes a lot of time and effort on her end, she does it with a smile on her face.” 

On Sept. 10, Wright organized a debate watch party for the club, featuring Harris-Walz Pennsylvania campaign staff who typically don’t have time to attend campus events due to their busy schedules. 

Early in college, Wright volunteered to register voters. She said she noticed how people she approached about voter registration reacted with irritation. 

Polarization and skepticism about voting have become issues that Wright has since tried to strategize around. She said fostering an environment where all students — Democrat, Republican or Independent — feel welcomed is essential. 

She said she encourages others to share their views and ask questions without attaching those views to a political label, and she hopes more formative and open conversations happen as students engage in meaningful discussions free from the constraints of political labels.

“You don’t have to be explicit about it being politics,” Wright said. “People hear that word (politics), and it’s a shutdown response. Integrating ways to think about the community before you are able to vote is what I think is the path forward.”

Wright said gun control is a key issue in the upcoming election, and acknowledges the complexity of the debate, given her family’s rural Pennsylvanian heritage and their engagement in hunting. 

“My dad and I have discussed how there are so many people living in rural America that are just like ‘I want to hunt,’ and there are many Democrat politicians who lack sympathy for rural America which can make the vast base of gun owners feel isolated and singled out,” Wright said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

Wright said if Democrats want to be a party that’s for the people, then they need to have an understanding of what being an American means to everyone and talk to Republicans. 

“When Democrats don’t give issues like reproductive rights or gun control the nuance they deserve, it’s really easy for Republicans to take that and spin it,” Wright said. “If we are for the people, then we need to do a better job at looking at the experiences of the people.”

Bill Hunter, the director of the Office of Fellowship Advising and United Nations Programs, said he’s teaching the Foundations of Sustainable Development course this semester and is pleased to have Wright as a student. 

“She’s this really interesting conglomeration of intellect and activism,” Hunter said. 

Before Wright joined his class, Hunter met with her to discuss her future and potential scholarships she might be interested in, as he does with other “high potential” students. 

Hunter said he was so impressed with Wright during the meeting that he offered her an internship position she’d never even applied for. 

While working with Hunter this semester and learning more about sustainable development as a LU/UN Partnership intern, Wright said she feels more comfortable discussing global health issues. 

“I had this moment while at my grandparents’ house in central Pennsylvania where I was like, ‘I have so many ideas I need to narrow down but I could get a PhD focused on food sovereignty and it being a reflection of self-actualization,” Wright said. 

Wright is currently conducting research and composing a paper on permaculture design philosophy alongside community and population health professor Kathryn Jackson.  

Wright said the paper will focus on the feasibility of applying permaculture design philosophy to community gardens and how permaculture is a form of self-expression.

She said her dream job consists of conducting research for a governmental agency, focused on developing a solid understanding of culture and people that can in turn be used to design impactful policy

“I definitely think I’ve tried out a lot of different things,” Wright said. “I’m always trying to learn.”