LSU senior Louis Gremillion, of Baton Rouge, was one of five students nationwide who received the Andrew Goodman Foundation’s 2018 Hidden Heroes Award.
The recipients were recognized at the foundation’s fourth annual National Civic Leadership Training Summit on July 13 at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey.
The Hidden Heroes Award recognizes exceptional Vote Everywhere Ambassadors and Puffin Democracy Fellows for their devotion to the mission of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, “to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy,” according to a news release. Award recipients have demonstrated commitment to expanding civic engagement and defending democracy on their campuses and in their surrounding communities.
“As in the past, this year’s five awardees stand out in their commitment to enhancing voter access through a variety of initiatives on the campus, local and state levels,” said Sylvia Golbin-Goodman, executive director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation.
Gremillion, who graduates with a bachelor’s degree in political science this summer, was selected for his work in procuring and implementing TurboVote, an online voter registration program, on campus. In spring 2018, Gremillion and the Geaux Vote LSU team successfully lobbied LSU Student Senate for TurboVote funding. They then worked with Residential Life, the Office of Orientation and the Office of the President to have voter registration implemented for incoming students and to make voter registration more accessible across LSU.
“We want to make sure that we’re, one, doing all we can to inform students about issues that affect them,” Gremillion said. “And, two, that we continue to do our part to make civic engagement as easily accessible as possible.”
Gremillion is continuing his education at LSU in the fall. He is beginning the master of public administration program with a focus on public policy.