BU CAS Political Science Convocation 2026 | Lisa Wong, Mayor, Town Manager & BU Alumna

Lisa Wong, BU alumna and current town manager of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, told the BU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Political Science Class of 2026 the story of how she "almost didn't walk into that campaign office" and how everything changed when a young woman named Jen O'Malley Dillon looked up from her desk and said, "You can do more than that. Try something new." After graduating, Wong backpacked the world, worked on human rights campaigns, taught in Wyoming, and talked her way into running a small mill city in Massachusetts (Fitchburg) she'd never visited before the interview, winning the mayoralty at 27 with 75% of the vote. Since then, she has spent sixteen years in local government, being, as she puts it, "compared to Leslie Knope a few times," from the sitcom Parks and Recreation. She wouldn't trade any of it. Because what she found in local government, the potholes, the late nights, the people who show up to a public meeting to "care loudly" about their street or their kids' music program, is exactly what she came back to tell the Class of 2026 about. The message Wong carried from that campaign office to this stage is the same one she's leaving with the Class of 2026: You can do more. Try something new. Ask when you need help. And care loudly. 👉 Learn more about Boston University's Political Science Program: https://www.bu.edu/academics/cas/prog... Subscribe to our channel by clicking the button above! Follow BU on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bostonu.bsky... Follow BU on Facebook:   / bostonuniversity   Follow BU on Instagram:   / bostonu   Follow BU on LinkedIn:   / boston-university   Follow BU on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@bostonu Follow BU on TikTok:   / bostonu   #bostonuniversity #graduation2026 #politicalscience #PublicService #LisaWong