Born and raised in Northern California, Margie Cook moved to New York City in January of 2009. Woefully unprepared for her first winter in the City, she eventually found her groove (and a proper winter wardrobe). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Studies from The New School.

Her Peruvian ancestry inspired her love for language and history. Her maternal grandfather’s mother tongue was Quechua; her mother’s Spanish; and her's, English. She was inspired to apply to Columbia's OHMA program after an internship at the Peruvian magazine Etiequeta Negra. While working on an issue about climate change, she dove deeper into the histories of indigenous communities leading the charge against polluting corporations. She contributed an article that included an exploration of her own family’s involvement in an environmental protest that sparked a small movement among neighboring towns. She wants to tell the story of endangered languages to ultimately revitalize and preserve them while shedding light on the social and environmental injustices faced by minority and endangered language speakers that she uncovered through her research.

Margie currently works for the Arts and Culture arm of the Brooklyn Public Library where she has led and supported programs aimed at promoting cultural inclusivity through the free exchange of knowledge. The most recent project she's organized, University Open Air, invites immigrant academics back into the classroom to lecture on a range of topics. She is grateful to find herself in this privileged role of helping redefine and expand on the democratic ideals in one of New York City’s most democratic institutions.