College of Health Student Advocates for Human Rights

Rhema Hooper researches the role of higher education in preventing the endangerment of children in war zones and cobalt mining practices 

“My work is in active service to others,” said Rhema Hooper ’26. 

In her first year at Lehigh University, Hooper learned of the endangerment of children in war zones and child labor practices in cobalt mining and felt compelled to help.

Support from the College of Health (COH) allowed her to tackle this human rights issue head on: to pursue an independent research project, make connections in the field, and notably, advocate on a global level at the United Nations in December.

Hooper is a second-year student majoring in community and global health, with a minor in molecular biology. She was introduced to the dark side of cobalt mining through a podcast about Siddarth Kara’s book, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.  

Cobalt is used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries that frequently power cell phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and more. Unfortunately, much of the cobalt used in these devices is produced by child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

As a consumer of electronics, Hooper felt helpless. However, she had a “lightbulb” moment when she realized she could make a difference at Lehigh through the Office of Creative Inquiry. 

Last spring, Hooper’s research journey began through a long conversation with Lawrence Tartaglia, her biology professor. He connected her to Khanjan Mehta, Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry and the Director of the Mountaintop Initiative, who helped her to develop a feasible research project. Mehta directed her to the College of Health, and soon, she had the support of COH professors Gabrielle String and Kate Jackson. 

To institute long-term, meaningful change, Hooper recognized the power of changing the curriculum in higher education. 

“Could we do something where we establish a learning curriculum that educates students on this issue?” she said. “My whole goal was advocacy, specifically for my age group of Gen Zers. We’re trying to go green and be sustainable, but we’re also relying heavily on technology.” 

“Khanjan brought up the idea of specifically educating engineers, and first year engineering students, in their courses because they learn about all sorts of materials,” she continued. “But where are those materials being sourced? And is it ethical?”

She envisions implementing an ethics curriculum first at Lehigh, and then more widely, “extending to the state of Pennsylvania where it’s embedded into a statutory framework,” she said. 

She has connected with partners in the field, such as Friends of the Congo, who have expressed firm support of her project. 

These efforts laid the groundwork for Hooper’s invitation to speak at the United Nations. The opportunity came through Krista Liguori, Assistant Professor with the Department of Community and Population Health. 

On December 4, Hooper advocated against child labor at the “Making the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a Reality: The Role of Higher Education” event at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. 

Hooper summed up the experience of speaking at the U.N. in one word: empowering. She noted that she was honored to be the final speaker of the session, knowing her words would have a lasting impact. 

“I want to place this in the academic world’s mind, so that they can do their own research,” she said, describing her main goal for the speech. “We can make this a collectivist goal, so that the wheels start turning in their universities to actually do something about this issue.”

After graduation, Hooper plans to attend medical school and ultimately practice medicine in refugee camps in Southwest Asia and North Africa. She chose the College of Health’s program in Community & Global Health, instead of the more typical track of the life sciences, in order to gain a more holistic approach to medicine. The COH equips students to advance health equity by approaching health comprehensively, examining health and illness from root cause to solution.

This year, Hooper is undertaking an independent study to collect data from previous research, develop a formal literature review, and establish an official structure and framework for a prospective Mountaintop Project in 2025. This project will bring together students from across disciplines, as well as partners in the field, to fully inform the curriculum.

 “Something that’s unique with the College of Health is that the way that we actually address social issues is through our curriculum and research,” she said. “In our classes, they equip us to engage in the field.”