Student Profile: Anaamika Nair ’23
Through her Political Science and Afro-American studies, Anaamika Nair has continually learned new ways to think critically about how larger systems, specifically interconnected socio-political systems, affect individuals in an inequitable manner. For Nair, who received the Environmental Justice Fund Scholarship through HFA, environmental justice proved to be a pressing issue in this realm.
“My work in social justice advocacy necessitates environmental justice work because they are inseparable,” Nair said.
She has actively worked to address these issues as a student on the Restorative Justice Taskforce with SGA and an intern with MASSPIRG.
Within MASSPIRG, she ran registration and “get-out-the-vote” volunteer actions that focused on mobilizing university students to vote. She coordinated with student leaders to educate more than 100,000 students leading up to the polls and created voting plans for over 50,000 new voters and planned events to draft over 30 Op-Eds to advocate for the Pollinator Bill.
One of her greatest accomplishments was lobbying Congress to pass the CARES Act, which guaranteed a minimum of $120 billion for higher education. She has also advocated for awareness regarding hunger and homelessness.
Nair is considering graduate school in a Masters of Public Policy (MPP) program or Education program after graduating in May 2023.