June 29, 2023

When we learned that one of our favorite partner organizations, Rise—a student- and youth-led non-profit that works to make higher education free and supports youth-voter engagement—named the fantastic Mary-Pat Hector as their new Chief Executive Officer, we knew we had to interview her.  

Mary-Pat is an award-winning community organizer and strategist with over a decade of experience in youth advocacy. In her time as a Peace First Fellow, she used her funding to launch Think Twice: a national campaign that educates youth on issues like gun violence. She became the youngest woman and youngest person of color to run for public office in Georgia in 2017.  She has also worked with organizations like Swipe Out Hunger and the National Action Network. 

We’re so honored to have a leader in the movement like Mary-Pat. Read on to learn how Rise is training and hiring community college and university students to organize campaigns focused on eliminating tuition and fees, expanding financial aid and ending student hunger and homelessness, and getting out the vote.

What led you to work at Rise? 

I started organizing at the age of 12 as I grew up around a lot of gun violence and police brutality plaguing my community. This sparked my interest in creating change around me. When I went to Spelman College as an undergraduate student, I witnessed basic needs insecurity all around me, which pushed me further to advocate for young people like myself. 

Through my work with organizations like the National Action Network, I soon realized that while it is important to raise awareness about things like racism, gun violence, and inequity, actual change can only be possible through public policy. This sparked my interest in politics and voter engagement. Young people need to have a seat at the table for change to happen, which is why engaging them in voting and educating them about their rights is crucial. 

What was your experience like in college and grad school? What do you think policymakers and leaders get wrong about college students and their issues?

I saw many of my fellow students cutting back on their meals to afford their tuition, which made me realize that the college experience isn’t the same for everyone. 

The thing about basic needs is that people seem to think it’s only food and housing when it spans so much more. When I was in college, access to textbooks was also a social justice issue related to basic needs access. Even though I graduated pretty recently—in 2019—the college basic needs conversation has already shifted and evolved so much since. Students today tell me that because everything is virtual, they don’t use physical textbooks anymore. Internet connectivity, safety, access to school supplies are all examples of basic needs, and we need to center student voices and listen to them to understand what they require to succeed. 

As I began to educate myself about college affordability while getting my bachelor’s degree at Spelman College, I came across Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit that addresses hunger on college campuses. My fellow student organizers and I  introduced a Swipe Out Hunger program at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges to allow students to “donate” their unused meal plan swipes by sharing them with students that couldn’t afford to enroll in the colleges’ meal plan. We wanted to raise awareness about issues affecting our fellow students and also alleviate some of their challenges with hunger and homelessness. I, along with my fellow organizers, pioneered swiping out hunger at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)—because at that time, there really wasn’t a blueprint for us to follow. 

We hear about Swipe Out Hunger programs at progressive, predominantly White public institutions such as the University of Southern California and UCLA, but back then, there really wasn’t a precedent for them at private minority-serving institutions. As we think about issues like food insecurity, it is imperative to also understand that students who are Black and come from low-income backgrounds face intersecting challenges while attempting to gain a college degree. 

This is why policymakers and college administrators need to listen to Black students. Students at HBCUs are often locked out of these policy spaces despite all the lived experience they bring to the table, which is why we need to involve them in the decision-making process. We need to listen to the students who are most likely to be affected by policies targeting college populations so that real change can happen. 

Providing free tuition to university and community college students is not impossible. States like Tennessee, New Mexico, and my home state, Atlanta, are already doing the work. Policymakers should not be afraid to pioneer college affordability in their own legislatures. We haven’t yet seen free college happen at the federal policy level because people still think it is a progressive idea. They continue to be divided along partisan lines even though more conservative states like Georgia are embracing college affordability. 

To make free college happen at the federal level, politicians need to move away from a party perspective and adopt a people perspective instead. 

What specific issues is Rise focusing on under your leadership?

Rise trains university and community college students nationwide to organize campaigns focused on student debt relief, college affordability, ending food and housing insecurity on campuses, and boosting youth-voter engagement. We advocate for tuition-free access to higher education, increased investment in financial aid, and expanded state and federal funding in public education. We believe that voting is the most powerful way we can improve the lives of college students, so we mobilize student voters and empower them with the tools they need to show up to the polls. 

As I step into this role, I want to continue the work we’ve done so far in running one of the best voter turnout programs in the nation. We will continue to fight for student debt relief, and advocate for basic needs security on college campuses.

Any message or words of advice you have for students? 

You don’t need permission to be great. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope and advocate for your rights. When I was in college, I kept wondering if I would be reprimanded for raising awareness about basic needs on campus. However, once I gathered the courage to speak my truth, I realized that my teachers and fellow students supported me wholeheartedly. 

Students, there are more people rooting for you than you think, and you always have an advocate in me. Rise and I are always there for you.