NEWS

Angie Rizzo made the most of her time at Lehigh University and its unique connection to the United Nations. She served as a Youth Representative to the United Nations for all four years, and went on countless study abroad trips, including a two-month summer trip spent working with the environmentally-focused NGO Tarumitra, which she represented at the United Nations. She saw Malala, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jade Goodall speak at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Meet Angie:

What was your role in the Lehigh/United Nations partnership or with the UN, and what did some of your responsibilities include?

I started serving as a UN NGO Youth Representative for Tarumitra in the spring semester of my first year. As a Youth Rep, it was my responsibility to go to the UN to attend monthly briefings, gather what sessions were going on, and what the UN was talking about, synthesize that into a briefing report, and send it to our NGO president, who was based in Patna, India. I attended all different kinds of sessions. I tried to go to ones with an environmental focus because that's what our NGO did, but I went to all sorts of briefings, and when given opportunities, I would try and speak up at those briefings and ask questions. At one point we even presented at the Commission on the Status of Women, which was really cool.

What was your favorite part of your experience as a LU/UN Youth Representative?

I think my favorite part of the Youth Rep position was that you got to make it what you wanted. You had your basic requirements, but one of the things that I and another Youth Rep Robbie Smith did that was really impactful was taking the opportunity to intern one summer at our NGO. We both went to India and worked with them on the ground. I think that was probably the most meaningful experience of my time there because we got to see firsthand what the organization was about and help them with their work on the ground. That was really rewarding, and I think it also helped us when we were back on campus and back at the UN to better translate the work that they did, to make it clear for all the different stakeholders. On campus, we collaborated with clubs that had a similar focus, shared what we did, and brought some of that culture to this campus. It was a really meaningful opportunity to interact with other cultures and do something we all cared about, which was work on environmental protection.

It was really great that we got to meet Father Robert Athickal, the president of the NGO Taruamitru. It was even better when we got to spend two months together, working together, and living together every day. So in many ways, I got a second family out of that experience. Father Robert visited Lehigh afterward, during my junior and senior years, and stayed here with my family. We had him over for dinner. He’s family, and I still keep in touch with him.

The day we left India, Father Robert gave me a card, and I didn't open it until later. He sent me a text, asking Did you open your card yet? I said no, I hadn’t.  I was gonna save it for a day I missed him and India. He said, you really should open it now. So I opened the card, and there was a note from Father Robert, saying something to the effect of, I've heard it's an American custom that when your grandchildren visit, you leave them with a little bit of pocket cash, and inside was a crisp American $20 bill. That was so special to me because I didn't have a grandfather growing up, and then for him to say you're our grandkids, here's some cash. It was adorable. He's a wonderful person.

Was there a global or local leader or NGO president you met that impacted you significantly?

There are so many. I mean, the Crown Princess of Iraq, Nisreen al Hashemite. She's just wonderful. She goes to the Women in STEM celebration every year, and she's very enthusiastic about women in STEM. She was someone who came from a more privileged background, but cared and became a doctor, and just loves women empowerment. I had a lot of friends who went on that trip who weren't Youth Reps, but they were women in STEM at Lehigh, and they got a chance to talk about their experience, the good and the bad. There have been experiences of sexism on campus, especially for students in STEM. Hearing them have that platform was a really empowering moment, and just as a friend, I love cheering on other friends, so that was really meaningful. I have to say my favorite speaker that I've ever seen at the UN - I've been blessed to see a lot of people, I've seen two secretary generals, I've seen Malala, I've seen Leonardo DiCaprio, I've seen Stevie Wonder, so many amazing people, but my favorite was Jane Goodall, because I'm just a nerd. When she came to the podium, she greeted everyone in chimpanzee. I just want that moment to live in my brain for the rest of my life - her coming up and greeting us in chimpanzee.

If you could give one piece of advice to current Lehigh students looking to engage with the Lehigh/United Nations partnership, what would it be?

Don't just do what everyone else has done, because everyone else has already done it. Make it your own. Get out of the experience what you want to get out of it.