Group 5

My name is Lauren Carpenter, and I am a junior at Hope College in the United States of America, pursuing a degree in History, Art History, and English, with minors in Classical Studies and Spanish. Throughout my academic career, I have been involved in a range of both academic and extracurricular activities including curating an exhibit for the Kruizenga Art Museum, publishing articles based on archival material, serving as president of the English Club, vice president of the Hope College chapter of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society, and Chief Outreach and Development Officer for Hope College Vox Populi. Through these clubs and organizations, I have been able to exercise my passion for learning, academia, history, and politics and share them with my peers and the greater campus community.

Especially through my involvement with Hope College Vox Populi, I have worked towards achieving healthy civil discourse in a college setting and promoted both voting and political engagement as young Americans’ civic duty. I find democracy and the question of fundamental human rights to be paramount in the 21st century, especially with the global rise of fascist and terrorist organizations and global polarization. I believe that education is the key to solving these worldwide divides and bridging the gap between ignorance and informed political involvement.

I am extremely excited to participate in the Athens Democracy Forum so that I may immerse myself in the world of international citizenship, learn from experts, engage with those of different backgrounds and perspectives, and deepen my worldview.

Yassou y'all!  My name is Andrew Dever.  I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas in a Greek-American family. Currently, I am a rising senior at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, double majoring in History and Spanish and minoring in Classics. After Wabash, I plan on attending law school to become an attorney litigating in the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals.

On campus, I work as a Fellow for Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse, an organization focused on promoting deliberation on campus and in the Crawfordsville community regarding issues and concerns important to our participants. We strive to help lessen the polarization plaguing our country through respectful and thoughtful conversations that the Democracy Fellows facilitate.

Additionally, I serve as Wabash’s Pre-law Society President. Our society is one of the largest campus organizations and exposes our members to emerging questions of criminal justice, the environment, politics and law’s impact on affecting change in our community. 

Outside of school, I have worked for the Department of Justice through the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the District of Northern Texas. During that time, I learned about federal sentencing guidelines, citizens’ role in criminal justice and how government attorneys operate behind the scenes.