Statutes of Liberty
About Me
My name is Liberty Acosta, I am 19 years old and a first year student at the Ohio State University in Columbus. I am a major in public affairs, minor in communications.
I'm vegan, I love creative cooking and raw foods. I also identify as a lesbian. I'm Mexican-American and I love to celebrate my culture and learn about other cultures. I have complete faith in the awareness and power that come along with written word. I have a wide spread community of passions that include writing, intersectional feminism, LGBTQ+ pride, universal healthcare access, maintaining personal wellness, inclusive sex education, and making the education system in the U.S equal for students from all cultural identifiers and backgrounds.
Check out my TEDx talk!
Educational Experiences
Harvard's 2017 Global Health and Leadership Conference
As a freshman, I applied and was accepted as a gold applicant into Harvard University's Global health and Leadership Conference. During this conference I was able to present to Harvard students and other conference attendees about the project I had been working on in the previous months. This project was focused on promoting and performing community wellness as well as personal emotional, physical, mental, and intellectual wellness. Prior to the conference I was able to conduct several events which did exactly these things. I held events such as free pilates classes for teens, and arranged with the organization 4Paws For Ability to bring puppies into school every end of the semester as a stress relieving activity, I also volunteered at community garden sales, and implemented a new guideline for bake sales held in my high school to provide healthy options.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association 78th Annual Fall Conference
Fall of 2017, I was able to attend Columbia University's Scholastic Press Association Fall Conference. At this conference, Columbia University hosted over 90 high schools and colleges from around the country. Attendees were able to choose from over 85 sessions specializing in a variety of topics surrounding journalism, web design, editing, and reporting. At this conference, I grew my passion for journalism and gained knowledge on better methods I can use to be more successful in this area of interest.
Student Diversity Leadership Conference 2017
At the end of my freshman year I was asked by then head of upper school if I would be one of six students selected to travel- all expenses covered by the school- to Anaheim, California and attend the SDLC hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools. The conference was held in the fall of 2017, 2,000 high school students from all around the world gathered to attend this event. This was the experience which helped me to accept my sexuality and celebrate my differences. SDLC was the most meaningful experience of my life. I learned about teaching, encouraging, and leading diverse situations and conversations while promoting peace and an ever-accepting environment. I learned about stages and cycles of oppression and how it can be stopped before it starts. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin and to be authentically myself no matter who is watching. I made life-long friends and a life-long support system from my family group that I was placed with there. These were the first people I ever came out to. After knowing them for the short week that we attended SDLC, I trusted them more than some people that I have known my whole life.
Columbia University's Model United Nations Conference and Exposition
January of 2018 I was able to attend CMUNCE, a three day conference exposing high school students to the experience of crisis committee style MUN. Prior to the conference, I was required to write a position paper surrounding the issues of Sweden and their involvement in the European Union. Every person in my committee was assigned a different country, all of which being European Union member countries. We were then assigned a variety of crises of which we were expected to solve through passing directives, negotiating with other countries, and ordering caucuses to address the issues. This conference taught me about international relations and furthered my knowledge on immigration policies in varying countries. I also learned about beneficial ways that the United Nations and other internationally intertwined groups handle crises.
HERlead Fellowship
From a pool of over 900 applicants, I was hand selected by the HERlead team to be one of the 30 promising sophomore & junior girls to fill the positions of the 2018 HERlead fellows. The fellowship includes a four day forum in NYC- all expenses paid- followed by a life time of phenomenal mentors, colleagues, and friends. During this forum we met several incredibly successful females who are changing the world and mentoring the next generation of leaders. We were able to learn about a wide variety of aspects which are vital to success including social media presence, public speaking, leadership techniques, interviewing, and networking. It was truly a life changing experience in which I learned so much!
Student Diversity Leadership Conference 2018
Fall of 2018 I was granted the great privilege of attending the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference for the second year. This year, six selected students from my high school traveled- all expenses paid- to Nashville, Tennessee for a four day conference to gather with nearly 2,000 students from independent schools across the country. The conference hosted incredible speakers such as Lisa Ling, Christian Picciolini, and Marc Lamont Hill. I explored how my identities intersect in ways that hurt me and in ways that help me through interactive activities with my family and home groups. I learned that growth is only achieved when people welcome topics that make them uncomfortable. We also were able to disperse into affinity groups of the identities that we hold. Being in a group full of other LGBTQ+ people of color was one of the most empowering experiences I have had. This conference provides a large amount of unique experiences for diverse students and students working to promote inclusivity and acceptance in their communities.
2019 Bank of America Student Leader Internship Program
In the summer of 2019 I was honored to be accepted as a Bank of America Student Leader. This is a selective international paid internship program. The program allowed me to intern at the Dayton Food Bank for eight weeks, one of which I was flown out to Washington D.C. for the student leader summit. My entire experience with this program was life changing to say the least. I learned all about the various ways that the Foodbank works toward eliminating hunger in my community. Some of these include CSFP for seniors and the backpack program for students. Most days I worked in the service center, helping member agencies get what they needed to fill up their pantries. Other days I had the privilege of assisting families first hand in our drive through or at a mobile food distribution. Throughout my internship, I became very familiar with software such as Navision and Pantry Track. Most importantly, I am now able to better understand one of the most prevalent problems in my community and in communities across the world: hunger. In turn, this has given me the tools to better navigate my ability to serve such vulnerable communities of people.
