I’m Evangelos Vassilakis, a fourth-year at Northeastern University majoring in Health Science and Psychology. I serve as president of the Critical Corporate Theory Lab, an undergraduate student group focused on how students and academics interact with corporate power. I’m also the secretary of Northeastern Weightlifting. I am currently applying to both Masters of Public Administration and Masters of Public Policy programs.
I’m particularly invested in how the government does, and does not, play an integral role in making the lives of people better. I hope to dedicate my professional life to making the government work for all, not just the few.
A project I’m incredibly proud of is my class facilitation about pharmaceutical marketing in Dr. Garrett’s Advanced Writing course. Somehow, I’ve rarely been asked to explore deep into a phenomenon or concept of personal interest related to my major. With this project, I was able to not only illuminate the ethical and human implications of pharmaceutical marketing with my team, but I was also able to deeply interact with and explore the topic with my class during our facilitation. Dr. Garrett’s class facilitation was one of the most academically and pedagogically interesting things I have experienced.
Julia’s comments ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Evan impressed me from the very beginning of the semester when he was enrolled in a health professions writing class with me last spring. It was clear in our class discussions throughout the semester that he was deeply informed about the broader political implications of the dramatic changes we began witnessing in early 2025. For many of our conversations, I relied upon him to educate his peers about why these changes were likely to be so consequential for students preparing for careers in public service and the health professions.
Evan was an especially important voice in our class to bring awareness to other students specifically about how changes at the federal level were swiftly impacting members of LGBTQ communities ––especially trans individuals. Other students listened with respect and appreciation to the insights he offered. His potential for leadership was very obvious from the outset, and I was especially pleased to learn that he was planning for a career path in public service.
When Evan asked me about the possibility of being hired as a TA for my current service-learning section of the same course, I was delighted to arrange for that hire. He was a tremendous help in managing the logistics of connecting all 17 of our students to appropriate community sites for their work. But I should also say that I simply enjoyed speaking with him every week–about his studies, about his work with a student club to advocate for Northeastern students’ educational rights, about any of the dismaying things happening in the broader political environment. I will be following Evan’s career in public service with great interest and with hope.