BSIS student Lauren Ravury has a new item to add to her resume: member of the 2025 Homecoming Court at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ravury's resume is already impressive. She serves as president of the Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA), an organization dedicated to fostering school spirit at the U. of I. Last year, she served as president of the Asian Pre-Law Association, a stint that led to her receiving the Outstanding Asian & Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader Award from the Asian American Cultural Center and the association being named the 2025 Outstanding Asian & Asian American Student Organization. In addition, she has held leadership positions in Science Policy Group, Illinois Student Council, and Kappa Alpha Pi.
"Being involved at the University of Illinois has been the source of some of my greatest memories in college," said Ravury.
After taking Social Aspects of Information Technology (IS 202) with Assistant Professor Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo, Ravury was inspired to change her major from computer science + philosophy and political science to information sciences.
"I loved how information sciences enabled me to understand technology through a humanities perspective. The professors at the iSchool are amazing and I found myself loving learning about topics regarding data privacy, algorithmic bias, the growth of technology in society, and the existing legal landscape when it comes to technology and information policy. The classes at the iSchool have been fundamental in my thinking as both an aspiring technologist and an aspiring legal expert," she said.
Future plans include attending law school and becoming an attorney who practices technology or data privacy law. Her resume includes internships with Representative Janice Schakowsky in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C., the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid. She currently serves as a Charles P. Wolff Intern for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs and Lou Liay Intern at the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
Ravury looks forward to Homecoming Weekend, especially because her parents and siblings will be coming to campus to share the excitement with her.
"I have loved every second of my experience being a student at the University of Illinois. This university has opened so many opportunities for me as a first-generation student that have been monumental to my professional growth. It also has instilled in me a love for learning and provided me with some of my best friends. Being on Homecoming Court is truly an honor and I am so privileged to have been accepted to the Court this year," she said.