Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Youth mentoring, addiction, abuse, gentrification, immigration, violence, education gap.
Major(s): Undetermined
Project:I want to genuinely make a difference in the lives of those I touch. Even though I may not know what the future may look like, I want to help those around me and all those affected by the harsh forces we face as BIPOC.
Inspiration: The passion inside me for helping others comes from being a descendant of people who were a collective force no one could touch. Those that came before me always did something huge for their families, and against all odds created the present I reside in. So, I absolutely can’t allow our people to be oppressed any longer whether it be the vast education gap, gentrification, or the abomination that is ICE (Immigration customs and enforcement).
Future Goals: I hope to at the very least ignite a fire so that the awareness of these issues multiplies. I hope to see passion be born in others despite the constant distractions that are felt in daily life. I hope to make the alleged “communities” these huge real estate corporations are building uncomfortable with the reality they forced upon us.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Poverty, Mental Health, Environmental Issues
Major(s): Business Management and Entrepreneurship
Project: My goal is to help underrepresented communities’ businesses grow. I will learn to create sustainable enterprises, manage resources effectively, and foster entrepreneurship. I hope to start businesses that support my community’s growth, create employment opportunities, and preserve cultural traditions.
Inspiration: I was inspired because of the direct ties I have. Experiencing firsthand how difficult it can be to have the resources and knowledge to opportunities can be a huge obstacle to face without support.
Future Goals: I hope to accomplish a wider understanding of the different businesses ran by people from various backgrounds and what that entails. I want to give back to my community and be the support system people need.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Youth Mentoring, Education Equality
Major(s): Elementary Education
Project:I aspire to help first generation students feel supported through the college process. School is a luxury that many have the opportunity to complete but don’t have the access.
Inspiration: I am a first generation student. My struggles with attending school have been at large. I know a mentor could have made a huge difference in making the process seamless as possible.
Future Goals: I hope to help first generation students feel and like they belong. I thrive to help parents understand how important those deadlines are so there student can be successful.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Transfeminism, housing, and women’s Issues
Major(s): Gender, Women’s, and Sexualities Studies
Project: I want to address the precarity trans women are forced into. I can’t solve everything in a year or two, so I’m going to focus on the largest off ramp into despair and death. That off ramp is being unhoused. Specifically, I want to create specialized resources for trans women that keep us housed.
Inspiration: Engaging with the Women’s and Feminist Studies frameworks and theory as part of my degrees, as well as “bleeding edge” intra-community discussions that lead to new and refined theory from outside academia, gives me a framework for understanding and deconstructing the structural forces behind the marginalization of women and, especially, trans women. This is turn gives me a mechanism to soften the ramifications of these interlocking mechanisms. In short, I am inspired to help women, especially women like me, have a better quality of life and my studies pave the theoretical and methodological means to do so.
Future Goals:I would like to create fundamental supports, including financial supports that address trans women’s precarity and disproportionate odds of being homeless. I’m hoping to partner with a non-profit institution and potentially write grants to achieve this.
Biscuit
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Mental health issues in the black community, how mental health problems affect black women, how homelessness affects mental heath in black community.
Major(s): Psychology
Project:I’m considering collaborating with a mental health facility in South Africa to gain insights into how mental health issues impact various communities. My goal is to apply this knowledge to raise awareness about mental health within the African community in my local area. I’m hopeful that the organization I partner with will provide guidance on effective implementation strategies for this initiative.
Inspiration: I was inspired to choose this social issue because it is a rising issue in the African community, and I know too many of my people who either lost their lives because of this issue or is going down the wrong path and want to help bring that awareness and support.
Future Goals: My aim is to promote mental health awareness within the African community. Additionally, I seek to understand how to support individuals with mental health challenges while honoring their religious beliefs. This is particularly important for groups like the Zulu and Xhosa people, who often interpret mental health through a religious lens. I want to learn how to strike a balance between respecting their spiritual practices and providing effective mental health assistance.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Youth Mentoring, College Preparedness, Latinx Support, First Generational Support, Transitional Programs for College/University
Major(s): Biomedical Sciences (Anatomy and Physiology), Languages, Literatures and Cultures (Spanish)
Project: I was thinking about pursuing a project in helping First Generation and/or Latinx Students who are interested in Veterinary Medicine, and create a program where students will learn about the basics of Vet Med and as well as building a community and allow them to have college preparedness at Colorado State. This would be a summer program at Colorado State allowing students to become familiarized with the institution and gain support from current/past DVM students from CSU.
Inspiration: I decided to pursue this project because coming into Colorado State, I have always had the mindset of working towards becoming a Veterinarian, which led me to join/advocate for support groups for students like me. I joined Pre-Vet Club, Biomedical Student Association, declared a Pre-Vet Track and met with multiple people to help me on my track towards becoming a Veterinarian. All of these different programs are helpful but were a little intimidating and not helpful when entering my first year of college and being told i’m “already behind” on my requirements for the VMCAS and Vet School in general. Which sort of led to me thinking, Am I really prepared for Vet School… Should I even continue? Those thoughts still haunt me when I think about them now and I want to help students who were just like me to gain the knowledge and experience to help them feel prepared and know they are going into an institution where it’s much different than high school, and the start to their careers.
Future Goals: I hope to empower first generation students, latinx students and those who are interested in Veterinary Medicine, to feel prepared for their incoming year at Colorado State and allow them to gain different forms of knowledge whether it’s Veterinary Medicine or College Preparedness, but having them know that they are welcomed at an institution like CSU and providing as much support the summer before their first year up until their last semester at CSU.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Homelessness, Food insecurity, Environmental issues
Major(s): Landscape Architecture
Project:I am thinking of ways to incorporate communities into combatting food insecurity amongst students. I want to build a sense of community in where people feel like their doing an impact in society alongside provide fellow rams with resources that are needed.
Inspiration: My inspiration for this project stemmed from when I was young, I was able to give back to my community through canned food drives and gift baskets during holidays. This is what I am trying to incorporate among students at CSU, it offers a sense of community while fighting a serious social issue that gets disregarded a lot.
Future Goals: I hope to accomplish this with flyers or anything to get the word out about the resources that are offered on the CSU campus. Also to host canned food drives and I feel that would allow people to feel themselves making an impact which is the goal.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Immigration
Major(s): Psychology
Project:This year I choose to focus on immigration because it shapes the cultural diversity and economic vitality of a community. Understanding immigration acknowledges the challenges and opportunities that come with integrating new residents into the social fabric.
Inspiration: I was inspired to choose immigration because it significantly impacts the dynamics of social change and civic engagement. Additionally, coming from an immigrant family I understand the barriers that different communities face. Additionally, this focus allows me to explore solutions to create a more just and fair society.
Future Plans: With my community engagement and social impact work, I hope to improve and create a more inclusive environment where new families can participate in civic life. By addressing the unique challenges faced by immigrants, I aim to enhance their integration and contribution to the community. This work will also help uncover and dismantle systemic barriers, leading to a more equitable and vibrant society.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of Focus: Mentoring
Major(s): Entrepreneurship
Project: I want to find more mentors so they can be a role model for people who don’t have a father figure
Inspiration: My mentor inspired me because I feel like I have became a whole new person because of them.
Future Plans: I want to see if there is would be more mentors compared to now.
Posted on October 20, 2024
Issue(s) of focus: Youth Mentoring/Affordable Housing
Major: Accounting
Project: I want to help nonprofit schools as an academic advisor when it comes to applying for scholarships, deciding which colleges they want to attend, and how to apply to them, helping them transition to their next chapter in life.
Inspiration: My parents own a charter school and they always talk about how their students don’t really know what they want to do when it comes to finishing school and it’s because no one is showing them what there is. Also during my high school years, I had an advisor who would send weekly scholarships and college recommendations and I felt it helped me understand what I wanted once I finished school.
Future Goals: What I hope to accomplish is helping kids understand a path when it comes to finishing high school and opening their eyes to all the amazing resources that are out there that they don’t know of. So they to can have the chance to go to college and do it the right way with help.
