The Lehigh journeys of friends Julie Wright ’25 M’26 and Rhema Hooper ’26 have intertwined over the course of four years, connected by vibrant community networks, international travel, conferences on the world stage and hands-on research in community and global health.
In the fall, Wright and Hooper were recognized for their impactful research as two of nine students who received Distinguished Future Maker Awards at the inaugural Future Makers Convocation. Aligning with the University’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy, the Convocation recognized 96 students in senior standing for exceptional impact in research and innovation.
Community and Global Health Research and Innovation
Wright and Hooper’s friendship started before they were undergraduate students at Lehigh Fest, an annual event for admitted students to explore Lehigh.
“We met at the [Lehigh Fest] Merit Scholarship dinner and chatted about becoming community and global health majors,” Hooper said. “Julie texted me after and asked, ‘You committed to Lehigh, right?’”
Since then, the two have supported each other on their academic journeys in community and global health and research endeavors. For Wright and Hooper, navigating their paths together has been the biggest highlight.
“My favorite thing about Julie is her confidence,” Hooper said to Wright as they reflected on their friendship.
“And I’m so proud of Rhema for putting her whole self into everything she does,” Wright responded.
Hooper received the Future Makers Convocation Global Changemakers Award for advancing global well-being through innovation, empathy and cross-cultural collaboration that transcends borders. She was honored with the award for her service as a United Nations Youth Representative and independent research investigating harmful cobalt mining practices contributing to infant mortality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“My brother called me one day and said, ‘There’s this podcast episode that you need to listen to,’” Hooper said. “That’s how I learned of the violations of child labor and exploitation. I thought about Gen Z; we eat, sleep and breathe technology yet are unaware of who’s at the bottom of the supply chain.”
Hooper’s global health project spanned three years, connecting her to Gabrielle String, assistant professor of population health and civil and environmental engineering; Kate Jackson, assistant professor of community and global health; and Krista Liguori, teaching assistant professor of community and global health.
Hooper was offered the opportunity to present her research at the United Nations Academic Impact commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Wright was honored with the Future Makers Convocation Civic Catalyst Award for igniting positive change in communities through leadership, advocacy and the courage to act locally for global impact.
She joined Creative Inquiry's Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellowship Southside Permaculture Park project, a zero waste form of gardening that contributes to the local environment. From there, she designed an independent study to dig deeper on the topic as a form of political action. Working closely with Jackson, Wright completed a project on permaculture in community-based settings, culminating in authoring her first academic paper.
As she transitioned to graduate studies, she began working as a research assistant with Austin Duncan, assistant professor of community and global health, on disability, urban accessibility and social connection in Bethlehem. They presented their research at the American Anthropological Association and Society for Applied Anthropology.
“Every semester at Lehigh is something new and I’m thinking of different ways I can look at the community in Bethlehem, blending academia with my passion for politics and social impact,” Wright said.
Community of Support: Attending the World Federation of United Nations Associations Global Model World Health Organization
Both Hooper and Wright said they are grateful to Khanjan Mehta, vice provost for Creative Inquiry, and Bill Whitney, assistant vice provost for experiential learning programs, for their unwavering support.
“I knew Lehigh was the place for me because I had the freedom to create anything that I wanted from scratch,” Hooper added.
“And there’s so many supporters, like Bill Hunter, director of fellowship advising and UN programs. The Lehigh village is big,” Wright said.
Liguori led both students to Geneva, Switzerland, through her Global Model World Health Organization (WHO) course. Traveling with three fellow students, Hooper and Wright participated in the World Federation of United Nations Associations Global Model WHO, a mock World Health Assembly at the WHO headquarters, in their final fall semester of undergraduate studies.
“The beauty of that trip is that our contrasting personalities and approaches showed up. You don’t have to have the same background or personality to love someone through life,” Hooper said.
From their hometowns on opposite coasts to Bethlehem and Switzerland, the Lehigh community will be wherever Wright and Hooper make it next.
