Lydia Downing is a recent graduate of the Boston Latin School from the class of 2004. She is excited to spend her summer as a Ward fellow before heading out to Colorado where she will be a freshman at Colorado College in the fall. She is a resident of Charlestown, where she has lived all her life.
During her six years at Latin School, Lydia was extremely active in many extra-curricular activities. She was a member of the Drama Club for all six years, appearing on the BLS stage for the first time during the spring of her sixie year. As a member of the Drama Club she participated in all facets of theater, on and off stage. In her senior year she was chosen to be one of four student producers of the club. In the winter of her senior year she directed a one-act play which got to the state finals of the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild. In addition to the Drama Club, Lydia participated in the Peer Players, a volunteer Shakespeare performance troupe which performed in classrooms, elderly homes and libraries around the city. She also took acting classes at the Huntington theater.
In addition to her work in the theater, Lydia was a contributing writer for the school newspaper, the Argo, was a member of the Editorial Board for the school literary magazine, the Register, gave tours of the Latin School as a member of the National Honor Society, and participated in public and prize Declamation. In her senior year, she was the first place winner in Prize Declamation, a public speaking competition which is one of the oldest traditions at the Latin School.
Next year at Colorado College she hopes to major in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. She may wish to continue her education after college in either law school or a school of international diplomacy and public policy.
Lydia has always been interested in politics, coming from a very politically active family. Although this is her first job in public service, she has long considered a career in politics, specifically in human rights. Ultimately, it is her goal to work for the UN or the International Criminal Court, where she would like to investigate and help prosecute perpetrators in war crimes and genocide. She feels that her Ward fellowship will help her gain the skills that she will need to further her ability to work in public service.
Her sponsor is State Senator Jarrett Barrios.