The Semester Ends with a Beginning: A Letter from LPI Director, Charlie Whittington

It's been a grueling, yet fufilling, semester for we students here at the McCourt School. We all chose to come to McCourt not because we thought it'd be a breeze, but because we wanted to be challenged; we wanted our assumptions about the world to be questioned.

I think I speak for everyone that while Introductory Quant made us feel small, we made it. We learned. And, nevertheless, we persisted.

It is the character of McCourt: our persistence to learn, our desire to change the world, our collaborative essence, and the support of our professors and staff, that makes every struggle in this graduate experience worth it.

But with the end of this semester, there is a new beginning; what I believe for Georgetown University and the McCourt School is a new chapter in our history.

The History of the LGBTQ+ Policy Initiative

It was orientation and on the student organization presentation day that no student representative stood up to present for the LGBTQ+ organization, Public Policy OUT (PPOUT).

Immediately after presentations, I hurried to speak to the Student Affairs Director, Jaclyn Clevenger, to let her know that I was interested in reviving the organization. It was only after a few short days that I was put in contact with Jonathan Dromgoole and we started planning.

Fast forward about a week: I am sitting in the hall outside of my Microeconomics class, and this guy I had never seen before in my life knew my name and asked about the organization. His name was Juan Pablo Delgado, and he was interested in serving in leadership, too.

Fast forward about another two weeks: Jonathan, Juan Pablo, and I met and laid out an action plan. We were going to completely revolutionize the organization: Rename it and go for bigger and bolder things.

In November, what was formerly known as PPOUT, was voted to be renamed to The LGBTQ+ Policy Initiative (LPI). We are a humble collection of 13 students out of 20 registered members.

Our Message to McCourt

Fellow McCourters, our message to you is this: We hope to strengthen our School by enhancing our community's knowledge about diversity. We hope to show that no matter what background, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, age or ability, liberal or conservative; we are all in this things called "politics," and we are in it together.

We would like to thank the faculty and staff who have supported our efforts to rebuild. Thank you Professor Mark Rom, Jaclyn Clevenger, Cristal Clark, Lauren Mullins, and Deaglan Privilege.

We would specially like to thank Assistant Dean Leslie Evertz for her continuous support of our efforts.

As this semester ends remember that we all start from the baseline, and it's only up from there.

Charlie Hollis Whittington is the Director of Research and Publications of the LGBTQ+ Policy Initiative at the McCourt School of Public Policy. For contact, e-mail chw47@georgetown.edu.