News and Progress

For one MU student, knowledge really is power

Scholarship recipient advocates for safety and equality

Aug. 24, 2009

As a freshman, Emily Luft received the Chancellor's Fund for Excellence Scholarship. In return, she has dedicated her time to advocating for a safer and more equal MU.

MU sophomore and scholarship recipient Emily Luft is serious about advocacy. But that's because she spends the majority of her time - in class and out - advocating for a serious cause: A safer and more equal campus.

Luft, a recipient of a full-ride Chancellor's Fund for Excellence scholarship, is pursuing degrees in both women's and gender studies and sociology, with a minor in social justice. Outside the classroom, she serves as president of the Student Health Center program Sexual Health Advocate Peer Education (SHAPE) program and is an employee of the MU Women's Center.

"My work with SHAPE and the MU Women's Center are, to me, some of the most important things I've ever done with my life," Luft says.

SHAPE trains college students to talk to their peers about topics such as healthy relationships, sexuality and birth control, among other things. "I believe it's impossible to make decisions about your life and your body if you aren't educated," Luft says. "I know that, as an organization, we have helped thousands of MU students better understand their bodies and their relationships, and therefore better understand themselves."

The MU Women's Center offers resources and educational programs to all MU students on topics such as gender socialization, disordered eating, self-esteem, feminism and more. "The center does some amazing work around campus, including helping to end violence against women, educating the campus about issues of privilege and oppression, and providing a safe place for all MU students," says Luft, who manages the social justice library at the center.

Before she received the Chancellor's Fund for Excellence scholarship, Luft wasn't sure how she was going to pay for college. "My mom sells bread and my dad has filled potholes for most of my life," Luft says. "I still have trouble articulating what it means to me to have college paid for."

She plans to make the most of her MU experience. "The greatest thing MU has to offer is that, unlike a smaller school, you get to completely design the college experience you have at MU through the classes you take and the community in which you involve yourself. It really allows you to take charge, which is amazing."

The Chancellor's Fund for Excellence was established in 2001 to provide the Chancellor unrestricted funding to meet MU's greatest needs. Support the Chancellor's Fund and support student excellence.