Hi! I’m Ava,
I’ve always loved stories—listening to them, telling them, and stepping into the shoes of people whose lives are different from mine. That passion now drives my work as an Activism Assistant at the Institute for Justice, where I support the Cities Work campaign to help local governments remove barriers for entrepreneurs and promote economic mobility.
My focus lies in expanding access and opportunity for system-impacted people. I’m especially interested in how local policy, reentry reform, and grassroots advocacy can work together to create real second chances. This interest grew out of my research on employment pathways for incarcerated emerging adults in Texas and continues through my work in advocacy today.
I’m committed to making my community a more accessible place for people navigating reentry, and I’m always eager to learn from others engaged in criminal justice reform and nonprofit advocacy.
Please explore my published and unpublished work to see the issues I care about and the stories I seek to amplify!
Some of my published work...
There's More Than Europe!
The Daily Texan
Columnist Ava Garderet urges students to diversify their study abroad options and consider studying abroad in countries outside of Europe.
City and county join forces for mental health diversion center plan
The Austin Monitor
City Council voted unanimously April 13 to move forward with developing a funding and design plan for the Travis County Diversion Center that was approved by the county on March 21
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”
- Eeyore
Other thoughts...
Don’t build on my hill
This project is deeply personal and written with a purpose - to stop developers from building an unnecessary events center on the community's favorite hangout spot ("my hill") in my neighborhood back home in Dallas. It was later paired with a proposition for a splash...
Swipe right?
Maybe we should consider the impact of dating apps and hookup culture at large on our ability to form genuine, long lasting, romantic connections.... When we swipe right on a stranger’s face, are we swiping away our chances at a long term relationship? Students...
Don’t step over me
If you live in an urban setting, or have ever visited one, you've almost certainly encountered a houseless person, likely with a sign requesting help of any kind, sitting on a sidewalk or standing at an intersection under a highway. How do you respond? Do you stop?...
Man or Bear?
Lately there has been a Tik Tok-born trend called “Man or Bear?”, the initial video for which was viewed over 16 million times last month, making it some of the app’s most viral content. The dilemma is this: Is it better for a woman walking alone in the forest to run...
Some of My Art
Contact Me
Ava Garderet
214.668.3436
ava@garderet.com
©2023 Ava Garderet.