National Leadership Program, Summer 2018
Lily Cantor
Lily Cantor was a Jewish Inclusion and Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership program. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. At Sarah Lawrence College, she studied the Spanish language and politics. She was an avid participant in the Jewish community and a member of the Hillel board at Sarah Lawrence. After graduating in spring 2020, Cantor hoped to spend a year doing advocacy work before attending law school.
Born in Washington, D.C., and growing up in Silver Spring, Maryland, she is excited to bring the skills she acquired at college back to the community she grew up in to inspire change at the local and national level. While managing social media for RespectAbility, Cantor is excited to learn about the challenges and rewards of advocacy for people with disabilities. She is thrilled to collaborate with an organization that simultaneously works on larger societal issues and interacts with individual people. While with RespectAbility, Cantor is ready to challenge the preconceived notions she has of herself and others.
In her free time, Cantor enjoys reading fantasy novels, watching Star Trek and scrolling through social media. She and her brother continue their search for the best scallion pancake in the Greater Washington, D.C., area and watch cartoons together on the weekends. She has a labradoodle named Clover, who hasn’t quite grown up yet. Cantor’s future plans include travel and picking up a third language. She is still trying to “catch them all” in Pokemon Go.
Cantor wrote four pieces during the 2018 Summer Fellowship. Check them out on our website:
- Geoffrey Melada: The Importance of Storytelling (June 7, 2018)
- Disability Legend Judy Heumann: Disability is a Diversity Issue (August 7, 2018)
- Honoring Judy Woodruff’s Dedication to Disability Representation in Media (September 4, 2018)
- Johnny Collett Calls For High Expectations for Students with Disabilities (September 5, 2018)
Join Our Team
RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Learn more about the National Leadership Program and apply for the next cohort! Contact BenS@RespectAbility.org for more information.
