Lizzie Andrus, on experience of advocating for implementation of Universal School Meals in New York, September 19th, 2025

Lizzie Andrus, who took up a project as a high school Sophomore at Shenendehowa to help push for Universal School Meals to its eventual implementation, joined Power & Politics on Thursday. "Growing up in my family we talked so much at the dinner table, so [civics] really had piqued my interest from a young age," Andrus said. "And then I focused on Universal Free Meals, specifically an effort at the end of my sophomore year of high school, because that was when Congress decided, in June of 2022, to end pandemic era federal funding for free meals. And I had noticed that in my transition to high school, throughout freshman and sophomore year, that I had benefited long with a lot of my friends, had benefited with having free breakfast and lunch in school. And so it was more an effort of if this had such high success rates and such great accolades brought forth because of it, why not continue to work?" Andrus, who also won the Gold Award as a part of the Girl Scouts, is currently a Sophomore at Ithaca College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices