Giulia Matteucci ’24 named 2023 Newman Civic Fellow

By Madeline Marriott ’24

On April 6, Giulia Matteucci ’24 was named a Newman Civic Fellow, an honor given to students with an outstanding commitment to creating positive change in their campus and local communities. 

Fellows have the opportunity to attend networking events and professional development sessions throughout the year with the goal of helping them foster the leadership skills that earned them the position. 

Matteucci has taken on leadership roles in a number of campus organizations working to engage students politically, civically, and professionally. Along with Magdalen Larsen ’23, Matteucci is responsible for creation of the Lafayette chapter of The Women’s Network, a national organization that hopes to create a space for women and nonbinary people to grow professionally on campus. 

“We recognize that the position women occupy in the career field is different from men, so we just want to create a place to cultivate our ambition in a space that’s just for us,” Matteucci says. 

Additionally, Matteucci has worked as the social media consultant for Lafayette Votes!, a nonpartisan organization that operates with the goal of increasing voting engagement among Lafayette students. In her role, Matteucci has helped the organization’s Instagram account grow to have over 500 followers from around 100 when she took over in the fall. 

Caroline Lee, anthropology and sociology professor, and Chelsea Morrese, director of Landis Center for Community Engagement, both of whom work closely with Matteucci for Lafayette Votes!, proposed her nomination. 

“Giulia was the social media lead for the nonpartisan ‘Lafayette Votes!’ initiative, where she worked closely with me to leverage political science research on youth voter engagement to maximize the impact of Instagram posts she designed to mobilize voters,” Lee says. “Chelsea and I proposed nominating her based on her terrific student leadership in groups focused on increasing the participation of women and young people in the electoral process and in civic engagement.” 

Matteucci also works with Andrew Clarke, government and law professor, in his Gov Lab, where she is research design lead for the lab’s Peer2Power project. The initiative studies civic engagement mobilization through existing peer networks. “Giulia has been instrumental in virtually every component of the Gov Lab’s work,” Clarke says. “She was primarily responsible for creating a holistic and impressive outreach system (including various social media accounts, FAQs, infographics, posters, email templates, and other online content).” 

“Giulia has spent two years tirelessly working on a nonpartisan civic research agenda,” Clarke continues. “She has consistently demonstrated a bold, creative, and determined commitment to improving American civic society through evidence-based practices. Students like Giulia embody the Lafayette ideal in so many ways. She understands the nuanced and social nature of political power, and seeks out real-world opportunities in which she can make an enduring impact on American society.” 

Matteucci says her time at Lafayette has been incredibly influential on her journey as an advocate for civic engagement among students. “When I came to Lafayette, I truly didn’t have a clue about what I wanted to do, so I felt that the Common Core really just set me up to figure out what I’m interested in, and through that, I was able to find my passion for engagement.” 

Through her classes and work with Clarke, Matteucci has gained experience, confidence, and a passion for the field. “I owe a lot to Prof. Clarke,” she says. “Until he recruited me as a research assistant, I really struggled with imposter syndrome, so it was really nice for him to come to me and tell me I’d be great for this.” 

“It’s really an honor to represent Lafayette,” Matteucci adds. “I feel really excited for this opportunity.”