NLIHC is delighted to welcome Cierra White as our IDEAS intern for the Spring 2025 semester. Cierra is a first-year student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C., where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in justice, law, and criminology. Cierra currently holds two bachelor’s degrees – one in sociology and the other in political science – from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Before interning with NLIHC, Cierra was a Virginia Governor’s Fellow in the Secretary of the Commonwealth office. This experience reaffirmed Cierra’s passion for improving the social conditions of marginalized communities through public service. During her time with NLIHC, Cierra hopes to gain valuable insight into advocacy leadership and a deeper understanding of individuals’ lived experiences of housing insecurity.