Nancy L. Thomas directs the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. IDHE is an applied research center that studies higher education’s role in American democracy and supports college and university student political learning and participation. The Institute's signature initiative, the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) examines student voting rates, patterns, and conditions. Through NSLVE, nearly 1,200 U.S. colleges and universities receive tailored reports containing their students’ aggregate voting rates following each federal election. Her work and scholarship interests include college student civic learning and participation in democracy, campus climates for political engagement, deliberative democracy, political equity and inclusion, and campus free speech and academic freedom. She holds a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a law degree from Case Western Research University’s School of Law. She is also an associate editor at the Journal of Public Deliberation, a senior associate with Everyday Democracy, and a member of the Scholars Strategy Network.

A rising senior at Talent Unlimited High School, Mia has been a part of YVote since Summer 2020. Since then, she has participated in the criminal and environmental justice action groups. As a young black girl from the Bronx, she felt that these issues were most prominent in her community and works towards creating solutions through civic engagement. She chose to educate herself on the process of voting and found that fulfilling once’s civic duty isn’t voluntary but necessary towards equitable systemic changes. Through her work on YVote, Mia aims to provide accessible civic education to all communities, particularly targeting demographics with low voter turnouts and have been historically oppressed. “Civics is so complex, it’s more than civil disobedience, politicians, or even voting, it’s about nurturing the minds that will be innovative and effective towards creating change for their communities.”

Syeeda Rahman is a third-year student majoring in political science at Suffolk University. She works as a Community Engagement Coordinator at ASG where she plans and oversees direct community outreach projects. Syeeda is also a Suffolk Votes scholar where she leads Suffolk University's nonpartisan voter registration and civic education program. Syeeda is passionate about creating an equitable society and uplifting people from all backgrounds to use their voice in politics.