Brook Smith Email & Phone Number

New Haven, Ct

I work as a paid student leader for Lutheran Ministries at Yale, helping our campus pastor and leadership team plan special events, form connections with undergraduates, and hold our weekly meditative Taizé Prayer service. I grew up in the Lutheran church and remain connected to my faith, so helping to grow a community for progressive Christian students and for LGBTQ+ students who were alienated by the faiths they were raised in is of the utmost importance to me.

Waynesboro, Virginia, United States

As a summer intern with Virginia Organizing, I worked closely with leaders in Waynesboro's Virginia Organizing chapter in their fight for a rental inspection program in Waynesboro. I organized and attended events where we could set up a table and do community outreach. Through these efforts, I handed out voter registration forms and information on renters' rights, and I gathered a total of over 100 petition signatures. I also met with elected officials, wrote an op-ed supporting abortion rights in Virginia, and recruited multiple new members to the chapter. This role taught me the skills and theory of grassroots organizing through extensive hands-on experience.

Wirtz, Va

After completing my first year at Yale, I decided to return to Southwest Virginia and work at the summer camp in which I had participated for 10 years as a child. I worked as summer camp staff for 8 weeks, supervising youth ages 8-13 and mentoring youth ages 13-18. I taught basic STEM lessons to students in camp classes while also emphasizing the empowerment of young minds and the value of collaborating and letting every voice be heard. While working at camp, I learned to be adaptable and composed in quickly changing situations and to work long hours with a smile on my face.

New Haven, Ct

As a member of First-Years in Support of New Haven, I participated in workshops and discussions to learn about the political landscape of New Haven and the social justice initiatives taking place in the city. Through First-Years In Support of New Haven, I obtained an internship with the Yale Prison Education Initiative, a program through Yale's service-orientated Dwight Hall that facilitates the offering of Yale courses for college credit in Connecticut state prisons. I intended to transcribe the assignments submitted by students for professors to grade, but I never received any assignments; instead, I helped the program in a logistical capacity to reach out to donors and organize their records.

New Haven, Ct

As a legislative fellow, I took on a bill to advocate for in the 2022 Connecticut General Assembly; I worked towards the passage of a bill to extend no-excuse absentee voting to the 2022 midterm elections. I researched ballot access and the myth of voter fraud to give an informed speech in the General Assembly's public testimony session for the bill, and I led the Yale College Democrats in email banking legislators for the bill's passage. Finally, I wrote an opinion piece advocating for no-excuse absentee voting, which was published in the statewide online news publication CT Mirror.

With campaign work having moved online during the pandemic, I worked from my rural Virginia hometown as an intern for one of the most competitive Congressional races in the country. I worked directly with both upper-level campaign staff and casual volunteers to contact potential voters in Virginia's Seventh Congressional District. From this internship, I learned the ins and outs of a major electoral campaign, from the interfaces of organizing to the hierarchical reporting system of campaign work.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Political Science & Women’S, Gender, And Sexuality Studies, 3.99 Gpa

Activities and Societies: Yale Precision Marching Band, Yale Votes, LuMin at Yale, Yale College Democrats, First Years in Support of New.

High School Diploma, Science & Math, 4.0 Gpa (Unweighted)

Activities and Societies: Submitted research paper to the Virginia Junior Academy of Science; participated in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

High School Diploma, 4.45 Gpa

Activities and Societies: Student Council Association: Senior Class Secretary Future Business Leaders of America: Local President &.