The graduate of Elon University’s human services studies program works on policy advocacy in Washington, D.C., in a prestigious fellowship with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
An Elon University alum is helping to create change for Jewish Americans by leading legislative advocacy, attending congressional meetings, engaging with the White House and more through a prestigious fellowship in Washington, D.C.
Olivia Kogan ’24 works at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism as an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Fellow, a year-long program designed for recent college graduates who demonstrate a strong commitment to Judaism, social justice and public policy.
The RAC is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to Jewish social justice and represents the Reform Jewish movement, the largest and most diverse Jewish denomination in North America, which encompasses 825 congregations, 2000 rabbis and 1.8 million Reform Jews.
“I support the work of the organization through attending congressional meetings, coalitions, engaging with the White House, the cabinet offices and state and local officials,” Kogan said. “I also lead our legislative advocacy on gun violence prevention, racial justice, criminal justice, death penalty, health care and Native American Indigenous People’s rights.”
In her role, Kogan staffs the Commission on Social Action Task Force on transgender rights, where she is currently authoring and developing a comprehensive toolkit to equip congregations and communities with resources for inclusion, advocacy and policy engagement around transgender rights.
“I think the most challenging part is that policy is continuously changing. Most of the work in a faith-based organization, there’s a limited amount that we can say or do,” said Kogan. “I want to make the most amount of change, but right now that’s really difficult.”
Kogan works with the organization to host social justice seminars and weekends for high school students, which is how she discovered the organization for which she now works.
“I participated in L’Taken (the seminar) twice when I was in 9th and 10th grade. I had the ability to come to Washington and learn about social justice areas with a culminating experience lobbying my congressional representatives,” said Kogan, who grew up in Huntington Valley, Pa. “I knew when graduating that I wanted to come back to the organization that inspired my social justice advocacy.”
Kogan said she is still very early into her career but has already had an ‘I made it’ moment when she met former Vice President Kamala Harris. Since Kogan manages the organization’s racial justice work, she was invited to attend the National Action Network’s annual breakfast for Martin Luther King Jr., where racial justice leaders came together to celebrate the progress that has been made while also acknowledging all the work that has to follow.
“We did not know former Vice President Harris was attending the event and then the host made an announcement introducing her,” Kogan said. “She had the best mindset and created a positive reminder that we all need moral courage in this moment.”
Kogan majored in human service studies with minors in poverty and social justice policy studies and Jewish studies. She was deeply involved in Jewish life at Elon, including Elon Hillel as an engagement intern and her work on planning Shabbat services and social justice initiatives.
Kogan was also an Elon College Fellow and completed a thesis project on the experiences of Jewish summer camp counselors being able to support the socio-emotional needs of non-white campers. Her project explored how formal and informal DEI training and resources influence and shape the counselor experience.
“Last year I was walking through Elon’s annual SURF Day presentations when I happened upon Olivia Kogan,” said Betsy Polk Joseph, director of Jewish life. “Olivia was surrounded by a crowd of students, administrators and faculty who were hanging on her every word as she shared findings from her research.”
Kogan credits Elon with providing her the opportunity to grow and pursue leadership positions that allowed her to explore her Jewish identity in new ways. She plans to pursue a Master of Social Work and potentially attend law school to establish a comprehensive social service hub where individuals can access social services and legal needs all in one place.