Grayson Dimick ('17) is a double major in Political Science and History, with a minor in Public Policy, from Sebastopol, California. Grayson is passionate about fostering dialogue, increasing access to affordable health care, and expanding opportunities for women and children, and has immersed herself in academic and public service opportunities surrounding these issues during her time at Berkeley.
On campus, Grayson serves as the president of UC Berkeley Model United Nations. In this role, she trains 110 students from 24 nationalities and 38 majors in public speaking and policymaking, and leads teams of Berkeley students to conferences across the US. At these conferences, students from across the world work together to find collaborative solutions to global issues, building understanding across cultures and viewpoints. Passionate about issues in health care, Grayson works on campus as a research assistant for the Petris Center for Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare, where she conducts research on the impact of the ACA, pharmaceutical pricing, and mental health care reform.
In the community, Grayson has focused on expanding the number of women in politics. She interned with Emerge California, an organization that recruits and trains women to run for political office. Additionally, Grayson interned with US Congressman Mike Thompson, and has conducted research in the Political Science department on the role of gender and appearance in elections. Grayson is also committed to ensuring all children have healthy and meaningful childhoods. She has worked with Greenacre Homes and School for the past 8 years, a non-profit serving boys in the foster care system. This experience inspired her to write her Political Science honors thesis on how youth in the California foster care system learn about their political rights. Grayson is also a member of the IBD Summer Camp Foundation Advisory Board, helping to organize an annual pro-bono summer camp for children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Grayson is deeply honored to receive the Muir Leadership Award, and is excited to continue her commitment to public service upon graduation from Berkeley.