- 2023 Contributors -
My project aims to reduce food waste and promote sustainable practices. I’d like to contribute by advocating for Cornell dining hall food scraps be used to feed livestock such as chickens. Thanks to my experience as a member of the Cornell Compost Club I realize that Cornell has plenty of food waste that can be diverted from the compost piles. By carrying out this project, we can cut the university’s overall carbon footprint and decrease the quantity of feed needed to raise the livestock.
The Spring Symposium is Cornell’s largest on-campus undergraduate research presentation event and hosts a wide range of projects and keynote speakers each year. This year’s Spring Symposium will take place on May 6th and we’ll be hosting 61 individual research projects across the categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Engineering & Design. We’ll also be featuring our distinguished keynote speakers Dr. Jon Kleinberg and Dr. Juan Hinestroza.
“31:25” is the first collection of my handmade clothing line, Made By Mac. The collection is inspired by my favorite scripture, Proverb 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” This collection will be bright and colorful with elements such as floral details, pearls, satins, and a lot of denim. While the designs are made with Spring in mind, each piece can be worn year-round. I want people to wear these items anywhere, whether it’s to class, work, brunch, out shopping, or especially for church!
I will contribute a reusable mug station for students to pick and choose their own funky mug to fill up with coffee at Temple of Zeus.These shelves would encourage students to forego the usual single-use coffee cups and instead choose a reusable coffee mug. This would reduce the amount of coffee cups being thrown away at the Temple of Zeus and would fill an unused alcove at the café. All of the cups will be bought second-hand or gathered from donations. The cups will be chosen for uniqueness and colors, and they will decorate the area while making the Temple of Zeus feel like home.
The club WIRED-Engineering Solutions to Mental Health and Neurological Disease, serves as a space for students to conjure theoretical solutions that enhance treatment of neurological disease and optimize mental health. Over ¼ of the entire population has some diagnosable mental health disorder. It’s time to engineer solutions. This new club will host meetings that encourage ideas and further investigate how they could be carried out, utilizing CAD models, 3-D prototyping, etc. We plan to use our generous funding to assist with the costs of these resources to further our prototyping and enhance the lives of those struggling around us.
The contribution grant would support the realization of a community center and marketplace for a rural town that lacks one as a part of a revitalization project. Danby is a community in Tompkins County that doesn’t have the resources of its Ithaca neighbor. The grant would go towards planning and development services to help the residents move forward with the creation of a community meeting space.
This semester I am a volunteer with the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) as peer class support in a study hall at Cayuga Correctional Facility. Every week I drive forty minutes from Cornell’s campus to Monrovia, NY and then back for the study hall. As the program does not support volunteers in paying for transit costs such as gas, I am using the funds from the Contribution Project to offset my personal costs of getting to and from the prison for the semester.
My project is going to provide winter clothing to children in need from a few families living in rural western New York. New York’s climate is unforgiving for anyone without the proper clothing, and every child deserves a winter coat and boots to go to school.
For my project, I filled bags with candy and the message “work hard & be kind.” I distributed them throughout libraries and workspaces to students. I was inspired by a special moment during my freshman year where a student walked up to me in the Olin Library basement and handed me a piece of candy. She said “You look like you could use this,” and it was just what I needed that day. The kind gesture represents the thoughtful community at Cornell, and I hope I have made other students feel the same way I felt that day in the Olin basement.
My project involves recognizing the hard work of the facilities personnel who maintain the veterans program house, where I reside alongside other veterans. Many of these workers are veterans themselves, and I plan to present them with engraved wooden recognition plaques to show our gratitude. To make this recognition more personal, I am involving my fellow residents by asking them to sign the plaques before the presentation. This project aims to express our collective appreciation for their dedication and hard work, and to honor them as both facilities personnel and fellow veterans.
Research for Change South Central New York (R4C-SCNY) is a new Cornell student organization and initiative that will bring together high school students in Broome County to evaluate harmful demolition practices in their community and collaborate in designing policy solutions. High school students will learn to use photography and interview techniques as co-researchers to study environmental injustices and also preservation, deconstruction, and reuse opportunities.
Once a week I go with fellow students to the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) and volunteer with a group of kindergarteners. I have been doing this since my freshman fall and I am currently a sophomore. My contribution project will be donating the $400 to this center to help them continue all the good work they do for the local children..
Though we’re accustomed to tossing things that aren’t reusable, the waste we produce need not be destined for a dumpster. TerraCycle, for example, enables people to prevent products as diverse as chapsticks and toothpaste tubes from reaching landfills. Although there are a few TerraCycle bins scattered around Cornell’s campus, a lack of awareness and accessibility often prevent students from taking part. Thus, through my contribution I’ll print posters that educate students on TerraCycling and increase the number of TerraCycle drop-off spots on campus. In the process, I hope to inspire students to reimagine what their “waste” can become.
The third season of The Advocacy Project’s Speak Now webinar series (you can find our previous seasons on Spotify) focuses on platforming the advocacy work of nonprofits making positive change in this world. Our first episode, funded by the Contribution Project, will feature Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute.
Vera is a national organization that seeks to transform the criminal justice system through partnerships with communities and political leaders. The organization employs researchers, policy experts, and advocates, and is committed to dismantling the present prison system and replacing it with one that ensures safety and justice. With the funds from the Contribution Project, I will donate $400 to the organization to aid in their efforts of ending overcriminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty. At Cornell, I am involved in the Cornell Prison Education Project, and wanted to use the funds to donate to a national organization who has more of a broad reach.
As captain of the team my goal is to bring us to nationals and in order to do so we have to pay for coaches fees. We will be competing at CU boulder from April 13-16. The photo is of our team from our first tournament of this school year (at MIT).
My contribution is allowing myself to indulge fully in music and buying myself a turntable. I’ve always been passionate about music, staying up until 12am on Thursdays to listen to new releases, most of the time with my friends. I want to create music that is fulfilling for myself but also the community I find myself being a part of. Being in college, I could never fund this tiny dream I have but I am glad to be able to do that now.
Residential Sustainability Leaders works to promote different ways that students can contribute to making campus a more eco-friendly place by engaging in sustainable practices. The Contribution Project funding was used to promote our cause on the end of laundry! Oftentimes, students use dryer sheets as they are cheap and disposable; however, they release microplastics into the environment. Dryer balls, on the other hand, can be reused and help reduce wrinkling and lint production. Students will learn about sustainable laundry practices along with receiving two dryer balls to actually engage in those practices.
I applied to the Contribution Project in hopes of starting a new initiative with her service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. A current senior and former president of the organization, she is passionate about access to education. Yasmin will use the Contribution Project funding to purchase school supplies for students in need at a local Ithaca elementary school. As a part of the initiative, members of Alpha Phi Omega will help select, purchase, and pack supplies to be distributed to students. Ultimately, the project aims to address educational inequities and to establish a stronger relationship between Cornell students and youth in the surrounding Ithaca community, encouraging Cornellians to engage in service outside of the “Cornell bubble.”
My idea for contribution regards supporting sexual health by providing educational materials and access to sexual health supplies more widely across the Cornell campus. In Fall 2021, I partnered with an organization to advocate for sexual health among youth and distributed hundreds of condoms on campus. This year, Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell club members will be helping me to build and distribute sexual health resource boxes around campus to further the contribution I made last year. With this contribution I seek to make sure everyone is represented in my materials and education.
Some of the Braille signage on Cornell’s campus is printed onto paper and taped up. Seeing as Braille is necessarily three-dimensional, I will be using the funding from the Contribution Project to purchase and place new signs. Student Disability Services and the Facilities and Campus Services departments have been kind and intentional as we determine what kinds of signs are needed and determine where they should be placed!
My contribution was to provide dog food, treats, and toys to guide dogs in training. Cornell participates in the finger lakes region of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a service-dog rearing and training nonprofit for the visually impaired. There are currently six dogs being trained by Cornell students on behalf of Guiding Eyes. These dogs are reared and trained by their raisers until they’re about 18 months, then they return to Guiding Eyes for formal guide dog training. Students are financially responsible for the dogs’ food and supplies, so I used my 400 dollars to contribute to the dog’s expenses.
My contribution will be to collect and publish stories from various people around campus in a visual and text form. The idea is to create a mosaic of Cornell experiences as I personally enjoy and reflect on my last semester. I will take film portraits of each participant and collect anecdotes around topics of self-discovery and connection in the highly concentrated environment of college. These stories will be handwritten and randomly assigned to the back of someone else’s portrait, and the photos will be hung up in a vertical display at different locations on campus.
A portion of the money was first donated to the Cornell Figure Skating Team as we qualified for the US Intercollegiate Nationals for the first time in 15 years and are fundraising to meet the costs to travel and compete there. Additionally, I used the contribution funds over February break to bake and deliver cookies as a thank you to the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center healthcare staff. I am also in the works of sewing soakers (cloth coverings that dry the moisture of skate blades) to help fundraise for the US Figure Skating Intercollegiate Nationals as well. My biggest but longstanding project is to crochet roughly 100 mini whales (maybe some other amigurumi) to be delivered to the Pediatrics Unit at Cayuga Medical Center. The unfamiliar environment of a healthcare facility can be extremely scary and frightening, so I hope to add just a little bit of comfort & happiness to the kids’ lives as they get their annual checkups, undergo treatment, etc.
My work supports the Refugee Union, a grassroots refugee organization in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, refugees struggle to care for their babies, as they lack social support and assistance. This parental skills workshop is an innovative yet feasible strategy to help alleviate the issue through three objectives: first, training refugee mothers with parental skills; second, providing baby items for workshop attendees; and lastly, combating loneliness by connecting refugee mothers together to create community.
We are a part of a student organization called Women’s Higher Education Now, which aims to explore and spread awareness on issues about gender equality, sustainable development, and equitable education. We are partnering with the Asian University for Women (AUW), a fully independent, regional institution dedicated to women’s empowerment and leadership development. As part of our initiative to connect with the students at AUW, we created a pen-pal program to exchange letters, emails, and video calls. The funds from this project will help purchase stationery supplies as well as gifted items to assist those students in furthering their education. We hope with this shared experience and access to educational materials, we can learn from one another and help support women and girls to progress in their education.
Although there are millions of species of insects, many of which fundamentally impact agriculture and are often keystone species in habitats, they are drastically understudied. Engaging the public in ways that they can help save pollinators, such as by having a garden with natural plants in place of a lawn, is critical to mitigating the impact on humans and the environment and anthropogenic climate change progresses. I aim to use my background in entomology to educate businesses, schools, and the broader community on what actions they can take to help our pollinators.
Homelessness is a global issue that needs more attention to alleviate the burden that affects millions around the world. The homeless issue is a multifaceted problem that requires a lot of interventions and policies to address. My Contribution Project aims to partake in addressing the problem by trying to relieve some of the stress and struggles that homeless people deal with daily. My project includes making care packages that include toiletries, personal care items, and snacks to be handed out to individuals experiencing homelessness within the Downtown area.
Through the Prison Reform and Education at Cornell University (PREP), justice-impacted youth from Downstate NY will be invited for “Day at Cornell” (DAC). The intention of this program is to expose the opportunities of a college education and experience to justice-impacted youth. We believe DAC will inspire the justice involved youth in pursuing a path of education. The project will bring the DAC participants to the Ithaca campus from April 13th to April 16th to participate in a series of programming. The guiding principles of the programming are built on three pillars: academic engagement, career building, and community integration. Mini-lectures from Cornell professors, undergraduate club meetings, conversations with local business owners, recreational activities, seminars with the Undergraduate Admissions Office, and other programming will support the youth in seeing college as a desirable and viable option for themselves. Please join us as we work towards this mission.
Through founding Mango Poetry, I aim to create a space on Cornell’s campus in which the poetic voices of members from Asian & Asian American diasporas are uplifted in a way that encourages our distinct, intersectional identities. My group works to foster this culture by reading works by Asian/Asian American poets, reflecting on life experiences through the medium of poetry, and giving student poets the opportunity to practice and share work on a larger platform. Mango Poetry meets every Sunday at the Alternatives Library in Anabel Taylor Hall and holds poetry writing workshops to help attendees hone their written voice.
In collaboration with New Jersey Community Medical Center, the Ocean County Health Department, and the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, the “Community Nutrition Day” project provided four nutrition education workshops to 100 uninsured and underinsured families in Ocean County, New Jersey. Workshops offered nutrition education that addresses nutrition label reading (focusing on the significance of fats and carbohydrates in the diet), the background and impact of fad diets, the intersection between diabetes/stroke and nutrition, as well as nutrition counseling sessions. Cooking demonstrations and food samples of eight diverse recipes were also provided to encourage the combination of culturally relevant ingredients with added vegetables and fruits. We hoped to encourage the idea that making healthier food choices can still be the easiest and most delicious choice!
For my contribution project, I am in the works for organizing a talk about mental health for Latinos in the Cornell and greater Ithaca communities. Mental health is often overlooked in general, but I have found that it is subject to additional scrutiny and criticism among the Latino community. To experience mental health complications is to be ‘loco’ in the Latino community, and I hope that this conversation about mental health among Latinos will address this misconception.
This is a small project which helps women in Afghanistan to be independent by making the Hazaragi traditional dress. The mission of this project is to promote leadership among women and promote the Hazaragi culture all over the world by selling online. Women are making those dresses and then I will collect the dress from them. After that, we put it online for the customer to buy it, and sometimes we accept pre-orders too. Recently, we just sold five dresses inside Afghanistan, but we hope in the upcoming months to sell our product to other countries.
I am using the funds received to help contribute to the Rising New York Road Runners work of providing free physical activity programs nationwide. NYRR is working to help create programs not just for schools but also community centers thereby making physical education available to more kids. Their aim is to make the programs fun and interactive while also adaptive to each kid’s abilities, age, and needs. Much of their efforts focus on providing information and online resources to educators, parents, and anyone interested in getting kids involved in physical activity. All their information is 100% free and easily accessible. NYRR is working to help change the negative stigma around physical education amongst kids and change it into something fun and enjoyable while keeping in mind the educational benefits.
With the contribution prize’s help, I will use this funding to support the people in Turkey and Syria. On the 6th of February, 2023, Turkey and Syria were hit by an Mw 7.8 earthquake. As a method of raising funds, I’m working with my local high school to run several fundraisers. We aim to use this initial funding to fund the bake sales we will be hosting. We hope that in doing so, we will be able to quadruple the initial amount we received in funding. All proceeds will go directly to help the people of Turkey and Syria.
With the funds from the Contribution Project, I will be donating money to people that I encounter both in person and online who have gone through a crisis and are in need of some help to get back up and continue on with their lives. Furthermore, I will also be donating to various organizations that are dedicated to causes that I deeply care about to show my support. As a college student, I often cannot regularly set aside money to donate or help out people in need, but the Contribution Project has given me the opportunity to do so and I am immensely grateful for it. Through this project, I hope to make a difference in peoples’ lives and bring some joy into their days.
The Information Science Student Association (ISSA) is an undergraduate student organization that provides opportunities for Information Science students to interact with one another across the 3 different colleges that the discipline is offered in – CALS, Arts & Sciences, and Engineering – with our ultimate goal being to foster a department-wide sense of community. Throughout each academic year, we host both social and professional events to provide all those affiliated with the major a way to stay connected to their peers outside of the classroom. The Contribution Project has been an essential benefactor to our mission this semester.
My project is to help provide delicious, portable, and accessible salad dressings/sauces to students. I will focus on developing popular flavors to add a kick to people’s salads in a shelf-stable, easy-to-carry form instead of big bottles. I have always loved cooking and developing new flavors so I hope I will be able to provide my peers a flavor boost to their dining hall foods.
I will be using the money given to me by the contribution project to help reestablish and fundraise the Doctors Without Border club here at Cornell. Doctors Without Borders is a charity organization that provides independent, impartial medical humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most. Any money that is not used towards the club will be donated to the organization directly.
Mehve Project: Our project’s goal is to create the Mehve introduced in the film “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” by Hayao Miyazaki. Mehve is an aircraft whose concept is based on accessibility and the design is taken from a seagull, essentially making it seem like the rider has wings. As a child, watching how accessible it is, it made flight seem so easy and it became a childhood dream to have that freedom to fly. In the creation of the Mehve, not only are we making our dream into reality, we are also making an art piece.
Students do a lot just to keep themselves awake. Amidst finals, job applications, and typical college duties, sometimes, 24 hours a day doesn’t seem enough. Coffee is the near-ubiquitous solution to keep yourself awake, a bandaid to the real problem: lack of proper sleep. My solution is to place sleeping pods in various libraries, allowing students to have well-deserved rest whenever they want. The convenience of these pods allows a reprieve from studying even when students are far from their beds. With a pod in every library, no student will say “I didn’t get enough sleep.”
My Contribution Project is for Ballet&Books, a nonprofit striving to reduce the literacy gap through the hybrid storytelling of dance and reading. At the Ithaca Chapter, volunteer mentors from Cornell and Ithaca College are paired 1-on-1 with 3-to-9 year old mentees from low income families, communities of color, and other spaces historically lacking in literacy/arts resources. During weekly sessions hosted at the Tompkins Public Library, the children participate in a 45 minute dance class followed by a 45 minute literacy session with their mentor. My contribution will help to support Ballet&Books initiatives on a national- and chapter-level.
B.O.S.S. is hosting an event called “Make Care Packages with the Cancer Resource Center” where we will assemble care packages to distribute to people with cancer in collaboration with Ithaca’s Cancer Resource Center.
The Contribution Fund allows UFWH (Universities Fighting World Hunger) to coordinate with the Cornell Events Team to find a suitable place to host a guided discussion with the undergraduate cohort and the Humphrey Fellows. Through this collaboration with the Global Development Department in CALS, I hope to foster a more inclusive environment to discuss food security practices nationally and globally.
I am completing an art piece to highlight the variety of experiences on campus by making a collage of student writing and artwork. More specifically, I am asking Cornell students: in exchange for $1, will you draw a quick self-portrait using only this black pen? Ideally, I will collect around 400 of these, which I will then compile into a cohesive piece of art showing how students perceive themselves. I then hope to have it displayed some place on campus for a little while for students to aim to spot themselves and people they know!
Cornell University is hilly. Some may even say treacherous. As students, we are often overwhelmed by our jam-packed schedules and the Cornell workload that we do not always take the time to stop at a water fountain or reflect on our physical and mental health. I am providing 32 oz Nalgene Outdoor liter water bottles for students who do not own durable or sufficiently-sized water bottles. By providing students with chances to stay hydrated, “Thirst for Nalgene” encourages them to explore the outdoors while simultaneously being prepared. This type of water bottle allows students to be an adventurer as well as a student.
We are excited to spread kindness on campus with knitted goods. My team and I will be spending the $400 on yarn for small knitted animals and pets to gift around campus!
CornellVal is a celebration of Caribbean culture on campus. It is composed of many workshops including education/history of Carnival, Caribbean dance (Konpa, Soca and Samba), costume displays, and performances from various student groups and hopefully a celebrity performer. There will also be larger components such as a road march and band launch. The money from the Contribution Project will go directly towards buying a Caribbean Carnival costume!
As an iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machines) Ambassador to North America, I serve as a regional leader and share my own iGEM experience with a broader audience in the region to inspire more people and teams to participate in iGEM and contribute to the development of synthetic biology. Ambassadors also connect iGEM Alumni to improve the iGEM Community as well as expand local iGEM communities. Ambassadors interact with professors, students, and anyone else interested in synthetic biology to help build organizations in the field and fortify the synthetic biology community.
With the war raging across Ukraine and many refugees fleeing the country, Soccer for Peace’s aim is to help local refugees. We organize and conduct soccer workshops led by advanced high school and college soccer players for youth ages 5-14. These workshops are donation-based for local children and free for Ukrainian refugees. The participating refugee children are engaged in sport activities with local kids, involved in the local community, and get free instruction, while the funds raised go to the Ukrainian relief fund to help Ukrainian refugees.
Umatter for youth and young adults (YYA) is a community action program, dedicated to promote mental health resources and ways to advance overall well being. This community program aims interventions toward changing mindset, building resilience, coping with stress, identifying strengths, and promoting self care; all of which are important to establishing a positive well being. With my donation, I hope to expand these programs in schools and communities and spread awareness of suicide as well as provide a safe and supportive community where youth can learn more about advocating for their mental health.
So far, my project has focused on making free prepared food available to students. As I was applying for the grant, I started attending Basic Needs Coalition meetings and we formed a sub-group called the Food Justice Coalition. Our research revealed that, along with lacking financial resources to buy food, many students don’t have time to shop or cook meals. We partnered with Friendship Donations Network of Ithaca and have been recovering food from dining establishments to offer for free at Anabel’s Grocery. Now I am setting up a free meal kit distribution at Anabel’s to supplement this prepared food.
MetaCarpal is a novel and fashionable medical device that will function to monitor and hopefully prevent future cases of Carpal Tunnel which is a prevalent issue in our technology-dependent world. This device will also have the capability to track repetitive motions, wrist position, and other factors that contribute to numbness and tingling in the arm/hand/fingers, which are major symptoms of Carpal Tunnel.
My idea for the contribution project was to purchase several hammocks. There were a couple of different motivations behind this: veterans have to “learn how to learn” when coming to college, and oftentimes we spend far more time locked up studying than many other types of students. Lately, the veterans house is working together to improve our collective mental health: one example is by encouraging each other to take breaks. I got the hammocks in hopes that student veterans will be enticed to take breaks outside, which is HUGELY beneficial towards both mental health and studying efficacy, (being outside and taking a break will provide better focus when returning to work!). Additionally, my hope is to place the last hammock outside of the veterans house, inviting any students living nearby to use it when they want a break. This has the exact same purpose as the first hammock (placed on the veteran-house patio), but also allows neighboring student communities the potential to get to know us better! Finally, I’ve purchased a series of smaller, cheaper hammocks: these can be loaned out by anybody, allowing any Cornell affiliate, including non-veterans, the opportunity to borrow these hammocks, and incentivizing taking breaks.
My Contribution Project involves helping a local volunteer fire department purchase more materials for public education! The funds will go towards keeping the community informed about fire safety and educating others about the fire department. It is also of utmost importance to help children interact with firefighters and other first responders. Emergencies are often overwhelming situations, for both adults and children, and these public education materials can also help children become more familiar with firefighters. These materials can help make a difference in educating the public and create a lasting impression for the community!
I am a big conservationist that values protecting natural habitats. I believe that fishing, particularly fly fishing is one of the best ways to spread awareness and buy into the notion that we have a lot of lands or waters worth protecting. Upstate New York is one of the best places in the nation to both fly fish and learn how to fly fish due to the volume of quality streams in the area. I aim to mentor freshmen and sophomores about fly fishing and conservation through this project.
Crossroads is a social enterprise LLC that partners with artisans in Nigeria to create handmade custom products, clothing, and merchandise; we then use all of our profits to fund a school and health clinic in the Jeida Village of Nigeria. We work with various groups, organizations, and clubs to design and fulfill their custom purchase orders, providing them with an avenue to source high quality merchandise in a socially impactful way. Contribution Project funding has allowed us to rapidly grow this semester, expanding our impact both on Cornell’s campus and abroad.
Solar-is is a campaign devoted to increasing solar power awareness and accessibility in Indian communities. Our focus is on aiding low-income communities by providing clean, sustainable energy. We successfully installed a 10kw solar panel system at the DTEA Trust School in 2019, fully meeting its energy needs. However, the system was recently damaged during a dust-storm, causing a disruption in the usage of the system. The Contribution Project will help me maintain these solar panels, as well as potentially install solar-powered ceiling fans to combat the rising number of heat waves in New Delhi, ensuring students are comfortable in classrooms.
I donated what I received from the Contribution Project to the Make-A-Wish organization. The money will go towards granting the wish of a terminally ill child. I was inspired to do this by my experience working with Make-A-Wish Georgia’s Youth Leadership committee, which showed me the importance of bringing joy to those battling terminal illness
The Mutual team believes that meaningful relationships could be just one “friend-of-a-friend” introduction away. We bolster the underinvested component of the dating process – the matchmaker – by using sophisticated machine learning algorithms to analyze profiles so that matchmakers can easily pair their friends with compatible partners based on both similarity and complementarity. Our app is the ultimate matchmaking tool, offering a refreshed take on a classic culture of leaning on friends to find, propose and arrange thoughtfully recommended dates.
For my contribution to the community, I aim to support local mothers who are working to overcome childhood traumas and break cycles of abuse to become better mothers for their children. A local nonprofit, Moms PLUS+ offers a program known as Survivor Moms’ Companion, a psychoeducational program focused on helping women work through their issues so their traumas don’t become generational. By working with this program, I hope to help empower these women to raise a stronger, emotionally-supported generation of children who will pass down their upbringing to future generations and help make Ithaca a better place.
For my contribution project, I decided to go around campus to surprise people with flowers. I get flowers from Trader Joe’s and give them out to students who look extra stressed and to campus workers who work hard every day to provide students with the best Cornell experience possible. I also have friends who help give out flowers to reach more people. By doing this, I hope to put a smile on people’s faces, which in return, also brightens my day.
The Mental Health Summit is an annual event hosted by Building Ourselves through Sisterhood and Service (B.O.S.S), a student-run organization dedicated to aiding women and gender non-conforming students of color in their transition to college through peer mentorship and service. The Summit’s theme focused on Reflection and Restoration when it comes to mental health. Reflection on actions and emotions can create a greater mind and body connection that helps to prevent emotional distress and promote better mental health. Our keynote speaker Freddie Ranson was in attendance thankfully due to the contribution fund. Freddie is a content creator, black woman, DJ, producer, and entrepreneur. She gave insight into her own life and how she builds a relationship with herself and others. The two-day summit kicked off with a bonding & self-care event including meditation and painting at the Africana Center. The second day, in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, included several speakers presented workshops on topics centering around mental health and its affects on people of color. Students were encouraged to talk to each other and create a bond with other women of color with whom they share similar experiences, in order to strengthen the community.
About 8.5% of the US population is uninsured, which places many citizens at a higher risk of adverse healthcare outcomes without the means to afford quality healthcare. I plan to address this issue by organizing a health fair that connects highly competent healthcare practitioners with uninsured citizens who are in need of healthcare in Maryland. I will use this money to procure an accessible venue and obtain and distribute marketing materials to advertise the fair. Increasing awareness both in print and digitally will ensure that I reach a diverse group who need the high-quality care that the fair will provide.
My project will allow underprivileged students to learn Latin with an animated Latin textbook. Latin is exclusively at select private schools and rarely taught, making learning opportunities even more limited. Furthermore, the subject itself can be excruciatingly dry and boring, with repetition and memorization being the majority of studies. As such, an animated Latin textbook that is accessible, fun, and educational for all will be a great solution. Using familiar ancient figures such as Roman gods and goddesses, deities, heroes, and mythical creatures, in these video lectures will be engaging and entertaining to watch to help maximize learning.
For the Basic Needs Pop-Up project, the Basic Needs Coalition at Cornell hosted an event where students could request basic needs items, be it hygiene, sanitary, or other household goods Students had the option to request orders before the event to be delivered or picked up throughout the day of the pop-ups on 3/22. On the day of we tabled outside Willard Straight Hall, Mann Library, and RPCC to hand out free basic needs items to anyone in need, as well as information on free food resources in the Ithaca community.
We are a team aiming to bridge the medical funding gap between autoimmune diseases (predominant in developed countries and parasitic infection (predominant in underdeveloped countries) through a profitable model of social entrepreneurship. By developing parasite-derived biologics as treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease, we seek to change the perception of parasites from purely harmful to beneficial for research and therapeutics. We will also promote novel treatments that prevent uncontrolled parasite infections without eradicating them as part of the human gut microbiome. We hope to change the social paradigm against parasites and secure philanthropic funding.
Spending time in green spaces has many wellness benefits, including improvements in mental health. Recognizing that the approaching end of the school year can be a stressful time, we have purchased hammocks, pathway patio lights, and flowers to encourage LLC members to go outside and enjoy the warm weather. We expect that the share responsibility of caring for our new plants will further encourage community. The new additions are to be displayed starting April 15th.
For this contribution project I intend to create impact in how Anabel’s runs their operation. I want to showcase and create visibility in how Anabel’s runs on our campus as many students have not seen where Anabel’s is and what their mission is. This would bring great traction to the grocery story and support the overall community that relies on this established institution. Through this collaboration event, we plan to create workshops and recipe events for service work and help Anabel’s through volunteer work.
My Contribution Project aims to support Loaves & Fishes, a community kitchen providing free meals and advocacy for Ithaca and Tompkins County residents in need. The funds will purchase fresh, nutritious ingredients and supplies for the staff and volunteers to prepare daily meals for over 100 people. Additionally, the project will support individuals with limited transportation to get to the kitchen. Through a food drive, I hope to raise awareness about food insecurity and encourage donations of food and time. The goal is to support those in the community affected by food insecurity and inspire others to do the same!
Cornell FinTech Club (CFT) aims to create opportunities to explore fintech. CFT’s engineering team is building a financial and risk analytics and trading platform that helps student investors create better investment theses. Typically, financial tools are locked at the institutional level, costing thousands of dollars and are inaccessible for students. This platform would provide access to innovative financial tools for students and is intended to be tailored for students by students to assist aspiring investors, finance student organizations, and any students curious in using innovative tools. Learn more about us at cornellfintechclub.com!
I’m making a dress based on the largest unfinished catholic church in the world: the Sagrada Família in Spain. The Sagrada Família was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí by using scale models made of chains or weighted strings to explore organic design while maintaining optimal catenary curves. He would then turn the model upright by using mirrors or photographs. The gown will mimic his design with the use of strings draped on the skirt and a top that emulates the church’s only facade Gaudí saw before his death.
Melanie Marshall’s project was inspired by the lost art of foraging and dwindling human connection to our ecology. In an effort to engage student life with wild food, she is working with the grounds department at Cornell to plant native fruit trees around campus which will provide fresh, local, and seasonal produce accessibly to all. She hopes that the trees (accompanied with a small sign/QR code) will inspire passers-by to inquire about the landscape around them, the cycle of growing and eating, and all that nature provides for us as they harvest and bite into a juicy delight.
STDNegative is a company with a mission to increase the number of college students that get STI tested. Journal of American College Health found that 1 in 4 sexually active college students have an STD, with chlamydia being the most common infection. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2019 found that only 22.6% of sexually active college students reported being tested for STDs (30.8% of females and 16.4% of males). STDNegitive wants to change that by using social capital on the campus level.
Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc.’s philanthropy is literacy. This project is meant through further the mission of literacy, women empowerment, and cultural enrichment. By hosting a Blind Date with a book tabling event, we hope to increase access to books written by Latinx, BIPOC, and our own organization’s authors.
This project was meant to support a young boy`s education through helping him develop his own business. Mohammad Ashraf Mohammadi a nineteen-year-old boy wanted to buy a motorcycle to start his own delivery service to consumers in Quetta Pakistan, to earn money and continue his education. The contribution project which I applied for helped him to make his dream come true. I applied for this opportunity and sent him the $400, which he used to a buy a bike and is now using for his delivery service. I believe my contribution makes a big difference in Ashraf`s life by being able to earn and continue his education.
The elderly are one of the most underserved populations. Despite lifted restrictions from COVID, many continue to be in social isolation and distanced from loved ones. Beechtree Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing is home to financially disadvantaged seniors and lacks many resources for communication and entertainment for its residents. The contribution project allows CEP to purchase tablets for Beechtree to allow students to teach residents how to navigate the technology, the internet, and video call functions. Learning modules tailored to different learning styles and dementia residents are used to teach the basic steps to video call and engage their interests.
The Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) provides college-level coursework for people incarcerated in upstate New York prisons. The program supports students in building meaningful lives while in prison, and preparing for a successful transition into civic life. Each week, I foster a quiet, supportive, and collaborative academic Study Hall environment where students can come to receive assistance with course material, homework assignments, and written essays. Volunteers carry out CPEP’s mission to support incarcerated persons’ academic ambitions, as well as Ezra Cornell’s commitment to founding an institution where “any person can find instruction in any study.
Cornell H.O.P.E (Health Outreach and Prevention through Education) is a community health-focused student organization that partners with local food kitchens to implement a personal health education program for underprivileged, health-disparate community members. We are currently fundraising for personal health supplies to distribute to the Ithaca community.