Majors: Civic Studies, Political Science
Hometown: Arlington, VA
Lidya Woldeyesus is an Eritrean-American and first-generation college student from Arlington, VA. Graduating with a degree in Political Science and Civic Studies, she is passionate about working with systematically oppressed people, which has been a focal part of both her life before and during Tufts. At Tufts, she has been heavily involved in Tisch College as a Tisch Scholar where she has been a fellow with St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, JumboVote, Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok’s Office, and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute over her time in the program.
Central to her identity she has also been involved in the Africana Center through the Pan-African Alliance and the Ladies of Essence. As an intern with the FIRST Resource Center, she co-ran the “Yes, And” summer internship program and co-taught the FIRST Seminar, a weekly seminar for freshmen first-generation college students.
Upon graduation, Lidya will be returning home with hopes of working in the public interest and legal services field to support her community members who often lack access to good legal representation. She plans to go to graduate school to further her education and also hopes to work in Sub-Saharan Africa in the near future to contribute to the work being done by Africans in recovering from violent colonialism and combatting neo-colonialism.
Lidya Woldeyesus, A22