Lucia Bautista graduated with a degree in Global Affairs and a concentration in Global Inequalities and Responses in May 2020, during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, after returning to her hometown of Wexford, Pennsylvania, Lucia co-founded the organization NA For Change. This initiative—comprised of students, alumni, parents, and educators—advocates for anti-racist education across the North Allegheny School District through social media (@naforchange), school board meetings, and community events. In the fall of 2020, she began working as a preschool teacher before joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Response Team in March 2021.
Lucia started as an assistant in the Community Interventions & Critical Populations Task Force, which focused on creating and distributing guidelines for schools, nursing homes, and other public hubs. She currently serves under the Vaccine Task Force, the division in charge of all relevant fields regarding vaccine distribution and administration, including immunizations, distributions, and operations—both in the United States and around the world. As a CDC assistant working in the COVID-19 Response Team, Lucia supports leadership by reporting data, creating presentations, and taking notes at meetings which range from check-ins with team members to nationwide calls featuring all 50 governors, the director of the CDC, Dr. Walensky, and Dr. Fauci.
“I know that because of my experiences at Mason, I was prepared to do my part to organize against COVID-19.” Lucia recalls her time at Mason as being rich in opportunities and support from professors such as Dr. Ipek, Dr. Hultin, and Dr. Ashley. “With the encouragement of my GLOA professors, I stepped outside of my comfort zone to study at Oxford University, fund my Honors project, and win a Fulbright Brazil research award. Their advice guided my academic and professional curiosities, leading me to where I am now.” During her four years at George Mason, she led communications in the Roosevelt Club, interned at nonprofit organizations like D.C.’s Worker Rights Consortium, and learned two foreign languages, French and Portuguese.
Lucia’s involvement across different issues, from labor rights and anti-racist education to public health, has helped her identify an overlapping interest in advocacy and problem-solving. “The next step for me is law school,” she explains. “I am excited to start my next career adventure and continue my journey as a forever student.” She advises current GLOA students to lean into the topics that intrigue them and connect with professors about opportunities. “They are experts in their fields that were once in your shoes; they want to help you find your passion. Let them!”
October 14, 2021