My name is Lucia Marucci and I’m a student at Hackley High School in New York. 

Along with history, public health is an area that very much interests me. I believe many of the programs helped America become what it is today. At a time when many of these policies are under attack, I feel it’s more important than ever to be vigilant to protect and expand them. 

Being a history buff I've always felt a strong connection to this country's most vulnerable. Starting with the Quakers. My town, New Castle, is steeped in Quaker history. Mostly Dutch settlers fleeing religious persecution. In fact, I live in a farmhouse built in 1780 by Quakers. 

Additionally, my father’s ancestors were part of the great immigration wave of the late 19th century and early 20th. And my grandmother is a Hispanic immigrant whose family settled in coal country. 

With programs like Ellis Island and the 1947 Boone report, which greatly improved sanitation and living conditions for miners, my own family was given a chance to thrive. Even those Dutch settlers would have participated in one of the first public health initiatives, The US Census. Which was created to collect population data to serve all better. 

My mission is to serve and help those in need and to give them the chances I've been given.