Eve Levenson, MPA

I grew up in a Jewish household where the value of tikkun olam, which means healing the world, was really important, and that sort of instilled in me a strong sense of purpose. My grandpa on my mom's side fled Nazi Germany to be able to come here, and I was always made aware of why that meant the asylum laws and immigration laws had to be set up in a certain way. My parents on my dad's side were involved in the women's rights, civil rights, and anti-war movements, and I grew up with that being a present thing around me, being told stories about that. I always had this desire to want to help other people and make the world a better place. I think politics is a really relationship-heavy business, and I've had many mentors that I'm very thankful for, many of whom I'm still in touch with. I think a lot about the value of those intergenerational relationships, especially being so young and doing the work. Many of my mentors have been people at different times I've worked with that were willing both to see the value of having a young person bring an expertise in that perspective, but also me being willing to understand that there are things I might not know from not having as much experience.

Eve emphasizes the importance of intergenerational mentorship, particularly relationships with experienced women in the field who have provided guidance and perspective. She values learning from those who have come before her while also contributing fresh ideas to the industry.

I think in the field of advocacy and politics in particular, it's important to remember why you want to do the work. You have to think about what role is going to put you in that best position to make that impact. That's what I've always tried to think about. I also think that politics is a really relationship-heavy business, and so you need to find who are those folks, especially those women that maybe are doing that work, that can be helpful, and to always be willing to ask questions. You never know who's the person that you worked with that maybe is going to be able to be that mentor, be that support person, and the only way to find that out is to be willing to ask and to ask that person to get a coffee or whatever.

I think a big challenge, especially looking specifically at efforts to turn out young voters, is the perception that young people, which has always been it, are not engaged and are not going to turn out, which I think can make it hard to get that level of investment there. I think also just that there's a lot of people that are really disillusioned with the government right now, which I think just makes the effort to get people engaged and turn them out difficult, but I think it also makes educating people on what is that information, how can they vote, why does their vote matter, all the more important.

The value of tikkun olam, which means healing the world, was really important in my upbringing and has shaped who I am. I grew up in a Jewish household where this principle was central, and my family history, with my grandpa fleeing Nazi Germany and my parents being involved in the women's rights, civil rights, and anti-war movements, instilled in me a strong sense of justice and community responsibility. I've always had this desire to help other people and make the world a better place. That's what drives me to think about what role is going to put me in the best position to make that impact. I also deeply value relationships and mentorship, understanding that there's value in intergenerational connections and learning from those who have more experience while also bringing my own perspective as a young person in the field.