Ray Lu is a rising third-year dual-degree law and business student at Columbia University dedicated to tackling issues of economic justice. Through the Renne Public Law Fellowship, he hopes to better understand the ability of local government to induce positive social change, especially through impact litigation and supporting nonprofits and other mission-oriented organizations.

At Columbia Law School, he is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, a research assistant to Professor Lynnise Pantin, a public interest co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and a member of the Journal of Law and Social Problems. At Columbia Business School, he is an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Fellow, a Nonprofit Board Leadership Fellow, a Three Cairns Fellow, and a board member of the Social Enterprise Club. Outside of the classroom, Ray is a member of the Food Bank for New York City’s Junior Board and volunteers at an affiliated pantry.

During his second year of graduate school, Ray worked at The Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund, an impact investing fund based in Brooklyn, New York. He spent the prior summer with the New York City Law Department’s Economic Development Division through the Summer Honors Program. During his first year of graduate school, he worked as a Social Enterprise Finance Associate at the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, the federal government’s development finance institution. Prior to graduate school, he worked as a financial analyst. Ray received his Bachelor of Arts in 2018 from Dartmouth College, where served as editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth newspaper. He was born and raised in Austin, Texas and enjoys exploring new restaurants and bars in New York City with friends.