Laurenlee Dominguez ’21 knew she found something special when she encountered IGNITE, a national organization that helps young women find their voice and encourages them to be civically and politically engaged. The organization has more than 200 chapters on high school and college campuses across America—including one at Villanova, thanks to Laurenlee’s initiative. 

“IGNITE fosters a safe space for everyone, no matter their political differences,” says Laurenlee, who graduated from Villanova’s School of Business in May 2021 with a triple major in Finance, Accounting and International Business.

Drawing on her experience as a first-year student helping to re-establish the Latin American Student Organization on campus, Laurenlee worked with three other students to found IGNITE at Villanova in August 2020.

Despite the pandemic, they organized activities like voter registration drives, panel discussions with elected women and candidates, policy workshops, and, most importantly, difficult conversations about important topics.

“How do we reconcile differences? IGNITE works so well, because people feel open to speak within the bounds of being respectful, making everyone feel valued and heard,” Laurenlee explains. “There’s power in just listening, even if no one agrees.”