HW Works hosted the Social Justice Roundtable on Jan. 26 with impact advisor Heather Kun ’92 and leader of the “Student Matters” movement Hillary Moglen ’94 to discuss their experiences in advocacy fields with students.

Roundtable attendees had the opportunity to ask Kun and Moglen questions about pursuing activism in their own lives and in the greater community.

When asked about the influence citizens have over local government, Moglen vocalized the difference one person can make within their community. Kun advised students to provide the research, data and creative solutions that would result in their desired impact.

Beyond the local level, new technology and access to free media has changed the ways in which activists are able to reach people from all around the world, Kun said.

“Everybody has access to this, and you can reach everyone, every type of person,” Kun said. “Everyone has a voice, too.”

Kun and Moglen emphasized the value they see in exploring many areas before settling on a career in order to be truly passionate and effective.

“I had a great plan when I graduated college in terms of what I was going to do,” Molgen said. “But, none of it actually happened, and I couldn’t be happier for it.[…]I actually love my job, and I’m very grateful that I get to work on stuff I care about with really smart people and clients who want to do good in this world.”

Kun and Moglen encouraged students to be open to taking risks and confronting failure while pursuing their goals. Citing their own experiences, they asked students to take advantage of the opportunities they have been given.

“I thought it was super fascinating to learn about how Harvard-Westlake helped shaped Heather and Hillary’s careers,” Jess Grody ’19 said. “I really enjoyed getting to learn about their different fields of work, and how they feel they’re making an impact today.”