Liza Varboncoeur is from Mecosta County, Michigan, and is passionate about victims’ rights advocacy, community-centered healing, trauma-informed practices, and the elevation of survivors’ voices. She dedicates her time to helping professionals and youth create relationships around authentic engagement by providing peer-mentorship to youth and leading fierce advocacy within her local community for interagency communication in relation to interfamily violence cases. When offered the opportunity, she strategically shares her experience to encourage other survivors to elevate their experiences. She also provides feedback to case managers, LGALS, court officials, DHHS, SCAO, and local officials to set in motion the discussion of trauma-informed approaches.
Believing that survivors’ voices are important, healing is a community effort, and we all deserve the possibility of a successful life, Liza channels her passion into action through NFYI, to gain hands-on experience of how real impact is made within law making, and create a solid foundation for her pursuit of a J.D. Outside of NFYI, she also works with Michigan Child welfare, and Michigan Supreme Court administration office. There, she takes part in advocating for better training for local law enforcement and government agencies when investigating interfamily violence (abuse, neglect, domestic violence, etc.). She also focuses on helping youths’ voices be elevated within the Michigan child welfare system by providing peer-mentorship for youth to help them succeed in planning for their future and by openly discussing her life experiences within her community in hopes of igniting system change.
Beyond her advocacy work, Liza enjoys being a mother to four young boys, gaining knowledge around psychology, sociology, policy, and legal studies, and lives by the motto: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Through the Congressional Leadership Academy, she hopes to understand the complexities of politics and apply her understanding to the elevation of lived experience professionals, victim rights advocacy, and policy reform within her community and state.
