Pursuing Change: MPA Student Abraham Lugo Selected for Inaugural Johnson Justice Fellowship

May 5, 2025

Baruch College graduate student Abraham Lugo (MPA ’25) has long been a champion for immigrant rights and community advocacy. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Lugo moved to New York City in 2021—an important step in his journey to becoming a leader in social justice.

Now studying at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management, Lugo was recently named one of the first-ever recipients of the Johnson Justice Fellowship. He was selected alongside two other students for the program’s inaugural cohort.

The Johnson Justice Fellowship is a prestigious, full-time, two-year initiative that places participants with host organizations working in grassroots movement building, policy advocacy, or electoral engagement.

Since September, Lugo has been working with the Center for Popular Democracy, a national grassroots organization spanning 34 states and Washington, D.C. that promotes progressive politics “seeking transformational change for Black, brown, and low-income communities.”

In addition to hands-on experience, fellows receive mentorship, participate in a speaker series, and gain access to a growing network of public service, social justice, and democracy-building leaders.

In the following Q&A, Lugo shares his motivation for pursuing a career in public service—and how the Fellowship is shaping his path forward.

Was there a specific person or experience that inspired you to apply for this award?

This path has felt like a natural progression. I started college at 16 and worked steadily through it to afford tuition—an early introduction to the realities that shape so many of our lives, and also the beginning of my grassroots community organizing work. My advocacy began in Southern Nevada, shaped in part by my formative experiences with Anytown, where I first began to understand the power of youth leadership and identity-based movement building. That foundation carried me forward into deeper organizing in Brooklyn and Queens, where I continued working in partnership with local communities and through the New York City Council.

I had long hoped to pursue a master’s degree, but with DACA status, I knew the financial barriers would be significant. That’s why this fellowship meant so much. Its mission—to invest in young people and support them in building sustainable careers in democracy work—felt deeply aligned with my values and my hopes. I’m incredibly grateful it has become part of my journey. I have a feeling it will be a good one.

What have you learned working at the Center for Popular Democracy?

Through this fellowship, I’ve stepped into work that has both challenged and transformed me. I’ve come to understand the deep, often messy intricacies of coalition-building and the sharp precision required for intentional political strategy. I’ve navigated the nonprofit funding landscape, helped shape and run a national issue campaign, and grown into a participatory action researcher committed to grounding theory in lived experience.

I’ve had the honor of traveling across the country to lead leadership development trainings—trainings I once sat in as a wide-eyed participant, uncertain but hungry. And now, I find myself building lasting relationships with movement-aligned professionals in New York City and far beyond. I’m deeply proud of what I’ve been able to build, learn, and contribute—and I know none of it would have been possible without the doors this fellowship opened. I can only hope now to keep those doors open and pull some other capable young people in alongside me.

What are your career goals and how does this award help achieve those aspirations?

I want to dedicate my life to building and defending spaces that challenge the status quo — places where we dare to imagine a democracy that is just, representative, and unapologetically reparative. My work has always centered on Democracy—not as an abstract ideal, but as a living, breathing practice shaped by those who have too often been shut out of power. I believe in policy that rises from the ground up, forged by the hands of those closest to the pain and therefore closest to the solutions. I’m driven by a hunger to understand how research and political strategy can sharpen the tools of organizing, advocacy, and action—how we move not just hearts, but systems. I want our work to be bolder, our vision less afraid, and our strategy long term.

This work has peaked my interest in philanthropy—curious about how foundations might reimagine the act of giving, how they might relinquish power rather than consolidate it. Having stood on both sides of the grantmaking divide, I know the difference between charity and solidarity—and this fellowship has only further solidified how I understand my role in this movement ecosystem. It’s also brought me back to my start in this work, organizing with like-minded youth and investing in our next generation. Perhaps my next step will be an echo to my first steps.

In the end, all I want is to do work that honors the working class—our stories, our survival, our fight. That is the only future I’m interested in: one we build together, with calloused hands and uncompromising hope. I think hope, now more than ever, is worth investing in.

What advice would you share with current students about applying for this Fellowship?

Apply. There is a commitment for this fellowship to continue for at least five cohorts. I was so close to not applying because I loved my previous work and coworkers so much. I had gotten too comfortable and that is a nice, safe thing. But I’ve never been one to play it safe. I never would have found out what I am truly capable of, and to deny myself of such growth just didn’t sound like me. I will take the risk every time, and you should too. You’ll be surprised at the places you can end up going.

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