This user has not added any information to their profile yet.
Each morning at St. Thomas’s, the words “Make this a better world and let it begin with me” are spoken in Morning Gathering in Chapel with hope that this affirmation will strengthen our students’ self-esteem and empower them to be change agents in our world. Jeffrey Gu, graduate of the Class of 2011 and current changemaker confirms this not only with his work but with his words. “The school nurtured the best parts of me, challenged me, taught me to be curious and to ask questions, led me to see great landmarks of our country’s struggles and founding, and did as much as any one institution could in helping shape the trajectory of my life and what has become important to me today…I learned about the value and impact of giving back to my local community and following through on words with action.”
Jeff has long been a committed, responsible and accomplished member of his communities. He is a graduate of the Hopkins School and New York University. At NYU he double majored in Public Policy and Economics, served in student government and in mentorship programs, and was an Evan Chesler Prelaw Scholarship recipient and Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Finalist. Additionally, Jeff played junior and college ice hockey and spent two years with Team Beijing in association with the NHL’s New York Islanders.
All while going to school and playing hockey, Jeff also managed to take on a number of professional paid and volunteer positions. He worked as a campaign staffer for Connecticut’s first Asian Pacific American State Senator and had internships in business development, finance, search engine optimization and nonprofit operations. In January 2020, he started volunteering with the Every Voice Coalition CT, eventually working up to Director of Legislative Affairs, where he led the unanimous passage of a bill lowering the barriers to reporting for student survivors of sexual misconduct.
Most notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, where there was a rise in anti Asian-American hate, Jeff began conducting research at Asian American-serving nonprofits including APIA Vote and Committee of 100. This work led him to where he is now, as the Co-Founder and Policy Director of Make Us Visible, an organization that works to establish a long-term preventative measure against anti-Asian American hate by requiring the teaching of Asian American history in K-12 schools. In his work at Make Us Visible, Jeffrey has helped guide the passage of six laws across four states (NJ, CT, RI, FL) requiring and supporting the implementation of more inclusive curricula. In addition to Make Us Visible, Jeffrey also serves on the Asian American Bar Association of NY’s Anti-Asian Violence Taskforce, on the Board of Directors at Guttman Community College – CUNY, and is supporting Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Smithsonian Museum in various capacities.
It all became full circle when Jeffrey recently shared his work with the students of St. Thomas’s and sent us Make Us Visible - A Coloring Book of Asian American Pioneers. Additionally, he left the students with some words of wisdom. “If the thought ever crosses your mind: ‘Why isn’t someone doing something about this,’ then you need to be the one to do it.”
To read more about Jeffrey Gu and his work at Make Us Visible, please visit https://makeusvisible.org.
