"If people need that voice to speak out for various communities, I have no problem being that," Tann said. "Everybody can always be of help to someone, and that should be our shared goal."
During his sophomore year, he also served as a development intern with The Commonwealth Institute, assisting in organizing their Policy Summit, and was co-president of the Multicultural Student Solidarity Network (MSSN) on campus.
Tann is currently studying abroad at Queen Mary University of London taking courses in politics and international relations, but the people he worked with this summer are never far from his mind.
"The people that I had the opportunity to work with impacted me just as much as I hoped I impacted them," Tann said. "I will always remember the families I worked with and never forget that the fight for economic justice and equality is ongoing."
When he returns to Richmond this spring, he will continue his Bonner Scholars Program placement at the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) in their new offices located in the UR Downtown building at 7th and Broad.
He credits his reading of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness with his pursuit of the LAJC internship.
"I had always thought about the possibility of law school, and reading that book led me to think about how I could take real action of my own," Tann said. "I started thinking about the option of helping underrepresented communities through pro bono, advocacy, or policy work."
During his first semester with the organization, he worked as a client intake coordinator and aided two LAJC attorneys with research on immigration customs enforcement and evictions.
"The work that LAJC does providing legal representation for those who may not otherwise afford it perfectly aligns with my interest in combating inequalities," Tann said. "Whatever I do going forward, I will always be looking for ways to make a positive impact on people in whatever capacity I may be operating in."
