Katrina Greene ’27 spends most of her free time at Cornell working on issues related to injustice – whether through the State Policy Advocacy Clinic, the Gender Equity Resource Center or the Caribbean Students’ Association. So, it’s no surprise that civil rights leader John R. Lewis is someone she admires.
This spring, Greene will be headed to Washington, D.C. as a John Robert Lewis Scholar, an award given by the Faith and Politics Institute. The year-long program includes two events for scholars in D.C., a spring 2027 civil rights pilgrimage to important Civil Rights Movement locations in Alabama and virtual workshops and webinars. Greene is the first Cornell undergraduate student to win the award.
“As a first-generation student, being named a John Robert Lewis Scholar affirms that my path at Cornell is part of a larger fight for justice,” said Greene, a government major in the College of Arts & Sciences. “My lived experiences, along with the mentors and peers who have shaped me here, have given me not just an education, but a responsibility to carry those lessons into public service and turn them into real change.”
The program selects five undergraduate scholars and five graduate student fellows each year who learn about creating positive societal change through the nonviolent principles advocated by Lewis.
During the program, Greene looks forward to meeting students with similar interests and hopes to have a chance to meet and work with her Congressional representative, Hakeem Jeffries.
Greene grew up in Brooklyn and is the youngest of seven children. Her parents immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago – her dad is a maintenance worker for a real estate company and her mom works in a hospital as a patient care technician. They’re one of her motivations for pursuing a career in law or policy.
“A year ago, my dad was in the hospital with pneumonia, but he felt he really needed to get out and go back to work,” she said. “They work so hard at often dangerous jobs, and so many people like them in my community don’t believe they have a voice to make things better. I want to help change that.”
At Cornell, Greene said classes such as Cultural Diversity and Contemporary Issues (ANTHR 2400) and professors including Alexandra Dufresne, director of the State Policy Advocacy Clinic, have raised her awareness of potential careers in public service.
Greene also serves as vice president of the Black Ivy Pre-Law Society and was part of the Pathways Internship Program through A&S Career Development, where she interned at the Proskauer Rose law firm.
