Originally from Ithaca, NY, Abby Cooper attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is pursuing a B.A. in public policy with a concentration in poverty and social justice. She has a second major in economics and a minor in women’s and gender studies. Abby is in her third year at UNC, where she is involved in Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and Buckley Public Service Scholars, a program that provides a framework for creating positive change in communities. Abby has served as a volunteer for two years at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center (OCRCC), an organization that offers free and confidential services to survivors of sexual violence. Abby provided crisis intervention and resource information to clients on the 24-hour hotline and represented the OCRCC at community events. Abby previously interned at Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, where she organized a drive to collect feminine hygiene product donations for homeless and impoverished women. Abby is looking forward to learning more about affordable housing through her work with NLIHC’s research team and to contributing to research that informs equitable public policy.