Gonny Nir, BA ’25

Gonny Nir (she/her) is a fourth-year B.A. candidate in the departments of Politics and Philosophy at Brandeis University. She is interested in how the nexus between politics, economics, and law reveals the manners in which state institutions prevent or enable individuals to act on their self-conceived life projects. Having spent many formative years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in her spare time, Gonny enjoys hiking, reading, cycling, snowshoeing, and visiting museums.

We asked Gonny:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Hey! I’m Gonny and I’m a rising-senior at Brandeis University studying politics and philosophy. I’m interested in the nexus between politics, economics, and law with a concentration on the interactions between state and non-state institutions. LCZ’s unique approach to social science research, merging the theoretical and the applied, drew me to the Center’s work. 

2. What is one thing you are taking away from your time as a summer scholar at LZC? 

Firms’ capacity to genuinely make social justice a tenet of the work they do is something I unexpectedly took away from my time with LZC this summer. Especially in academic circles, I think it’s common to view the private sector as profit-chasing and therefore uncommitted to truly uplifting communities. However, I was continually struck by LZC’s researchers’ personal dedication to bettering the health and wellbeing of immigrant communities through the ethical, evidence-driven research the Center regularly produces. 

3. Based on the research you did this summer, what do you want Massachusetts and national leaders (advocates, policymakers, researchers, and clinicians) to know about immigrant health? 

I wish for state and national leaders to grasp that to better immigrant health across communities nation-wide, an all-hands-on-deck approach between public and private institutions is not negotiable. Having spent much of my summer researching the impacts of legal status on economic mobility, it’s clearer to me now than ever, that to ethically integrate immigrants into the fabric of American society in ways that enable them and their communities to benefit from their relocation in the long run, sturdy coalitions of public and private stakeholders must be involved.  

4. What does “impact” look like to you, and how can LZC increase our impact?    

I’ve come to understand “impact” as a long-term, bi-directional investment in relationships. The most impactful interactions I’ve had with people and institutions have been those wherein I felt (and saw!) that what I was giving to the relationship was being reciprocated in whatever way the person or organization I was involved with could give me. On its face, this can seem transactional and impersonal. But I know these interactions have taught me my most important lessons and provided me with the best opportunities I have had the privilege of experiencing. Working from this understanding, I think LZC can increase its impact by sustaining its relationships with the people and organizations it works with, ensuring that recurring investments are being made into those relationships. Whether those be further collaboration on research, joint-events, or something else entirely, I think such an approach ensures the maximization of the Center’s impact.