Defying the Odds
Emily Lester (BS24) learned the power of tenacity from her father. After being diagnosed with ALS in 1993 at age 26, Jeff Lester was given just three to five years to live.
But Jeff, now 58, defied the odds. He saw his daughters graduate from high school and college, published a book, and earned two master’s degrees using a com-puter controlled by his eyes. And though he is quadriplegic and on a ventilator, he stresses the importance of normalcy.
“My father’s disability shaped who I am as a person,” says Lester, of Lebanon, Missouri. “Physically taking care of him from a young age, knowing that I was responsible for his well-being and life, fundamentally changed how I view the world. He and my mom show me it’s always possible to find the good in a bad situation.”
It’s an outlook that’s now helping her as she navigates her own experience with the healthcare system following a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that disrupts communication between nerve cells and muscles. Just 48 hours after learning about her condition, Lester lost her job at a law firm and with it her health insurance.
“It felt like my life collapsed around me,” she says. “It was brutal and scary and a lot to handle all at once. But in some ways my life fell into place—like this was an opportunity to be creative, to work toward a career that’s meaningful to me again, and to have a renewed sense of purpose.”
At SESP, Lester majored in social policy after seeing firsthand how Medicaid policies related to insurance coverage shaped her family’s daily life. She also developed a passion for addressing food insecurity and added a global health minor, which allowed her to further examine how health policies affect communities on a human level.
“What I appreciated most about SESP was being surrounded by people who care deeply, not just about ideas but about impact,” she says. “It felt like a space where experience was valued just as much as academic insight.”
Lester is now focusing on managing the day-to-day realities of a chronic illness while beginning treatment and pursuing work that reflects her commitment to making a difference.
She recently began working as a budget analyst in her hometown, where she supports programs that strengthen her community. She also hopes to continue working and storytelling as ways to connect policy to personal experience and highlight the human side of public issues.
“I want to be part of building a world where no one’s ability to access care is determined by their employment status,” she says. “Living through this has made me more certain than ever that our policies should be shaped by the people who know the stakes firsthand.”
She’s also learning to appreciate that her diagnosis gave her a clarity she didn’t know she needed. Rather than following a “normal” path, she wants to imagine new, untraditional ways to shape her future.
“I’m trying to redefine what success looks like on my own terms,” she says. “And I’m holding tightly to what I learned at SESP: that impact starts with empathy and that lived experience is a powerful foundation for change.”
LESTER’S 10 NORTHWESTERN HIGHLIGHTS
- Receiving the Wildcat Impact Award for managing Campus Kitchens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Studying abroad in Serbia and Bosina-Herzegovina in an eight-week program on comparative public and mental health in the former Yugoslavia.
- Presenting at TEACHX with Noelle Sullivan, global health studies program director and professor of instruction, on supporting neurodivergent learners.
- Introducing 2024 convocation speaker Mitchell Jackson.
- Writing a paper on health policy during an internship at the US Department of State.
- Serving as a research assistant to professor Diane Schanzenbach to study the impact of SNAP and WIC programs.
- Interning with Compass Group USA and Northwestern Dining, where she analyzed food waste data, supported the student food pantry, and contributed to sustainability initiatives.
- Participating in Knight Community Scholars through Student Enrichment Services.
- Honoring her high school teacher Ryne Emerick by nominating him for the Morton Schapiro Distinguished Secondary School Teacher Award. He received the award, which is presented to former teachers of five graduating Northwestern seniors.