Applied Politics

Leyeama Johnson is a third-year student originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Communication Studies. As a first-generation Liberian-American, her exposure to and interest in immigration policy began as early as the eighth grade. Last semester, she interned with a voting rights organization where she educated the Athens community on gubernatorial candidates’ platforms through canvassing and phone banking to promote civic engagement. On campus, she has been involved with International Student Life as a language partner, The Residential Hall Association as a community president, and served as a Study Abroad Ambassador. Currently, Leyeama serves as an Experience UGA Ambassador where she helps organize curriculum-based field trips for Clarke County schools K-12 to help fight education inequity.  On her trip to Costa Rica in the Summer of 2017 where she studied interracial communication, her passion for cultural exchange and research was reinforced. This Summer 2019, Leyeama will be interning with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Immigration where she will learn more about immigration policy and how to be of service to the population. In the future, she hopes to combine her passion for research, cultural exchange and community engagement by pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector.