Introducing the 2020 optiMize Fellows Cohort!
Introducing our Eighth Fellows Cohort!
Last October, we received 473 project submissions for the eighth annual optiMize Social Innovation Challenge. Over the course of five months, we hosted workshops, mentorship sessions, and community building events to support over 1,000 students working on social impact projects. In late February, all remaining teams presented their work and requested up to $20,000 per project. This funding allows students to work full-time on their projects all summer as optiMize Summer Fellows in our first virtual summer fellowship. This year, we are able to fund 37 projects and 82 fellowships with $350,000– selected by a consensus decision that involves student leaders, alumni Fellows, mentors, and optiMize staff. We believe these student projects illuminate possibilities for a more just and sustainable world. Even amidst a global pandemic, these teams continue to give us hope with their work. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us.
Vitam
A virtual platform that empowers patients with Broca’s aphasia to communicate with their loved ones over the internet
LINDA AND MAXWELL WENG
Vitam is an online communication platform that enables patients with Broca’s aphasia, the loss of ability to express language, to communicate with their loved ones. Linda and Maxwell were inspired to create Vitam when their grandmother had a stroke and began to develop Broca’s aphasia. They have since created the platform and have worked with their first user at the U-M Aphasia Program. As Summer Fellows, Linda and Maxwell hope to further scale Vitam and build out a user base of dedicated patients and speech-language pathologist partners. Their long-term goal is to help all patients with Broca’s aphasia connect more easily with their loved ones.
Nigerian Art Music
Providing educational workshops, instruments, and musical resource to sustain the growth of classical music in Lagos, Nigeria
DANIEL KUMAPAYI
Nigerian Art Music is a nonprofit organization that partners with music schools in Nigeria to provide educational workshops, musical instruments, and opportunities for local composers to sustain the growth of classical music within the region. In the future, Daniel will connect with classical musicians in Nigeria to better understand their experiences and improve his Yoruba, Nigeria’s official language. Daniel also plans on traveling to Lagos, Nigeria and visiting the Musical Society of Nigeria and Obafemi Awolowo University to host a discussion with multiple musicians to brainstorm solutions. Daniel hopes to make Nigeria a place where musicians have all the resources they need to thrive, breaking down false stereotypes and misconceptions of Nigeria.
ROVE
Upcycling pre-consumer textile waste to create rethought and impactful products
SARAH AGNONE, EDWARD COHEN
ROVE is a brand that turns pre-consumer textile waste, the off cut material of a production run that is traditionally thrown away, into a variety of products. As designers, Sarah and Edward were confronted with the tremendous waste associated with pre-consumer textiles and knew they wanted to find a solution. Over the summer, ROVE plans to establish partnerships with manufacturers to receive this textile waste and begin the production of a sustainable backpack. They intend on moving to Los Angeles and developing a collection of products for retail. Sarah and Edward aspire to grow ROVE into an ethical retailer that produces a variety of its own sustainably-crafted products.
Maxey Real Estate Investments
Revitalizing homes and providing housing to Detroit residents through buying, investing in, and leasing vacant properties
JONAE MAXEY
Maxey Real Estate Investments is a company working to strengthen Detroit neighborhoods by acquiring, renovating, and selling homes with the purpose of working within the community. Jonae, a Detroit native, wants to empower locals to improve their neighborhoods without looking to outside help which often displaces residents. This summer, Jonae will work on bringing in more properties and teaching others in Detroit about real estate investment and entrepreneurship. She also hopes to wholesale at least two properties and create a solid team ensuring the company’s sustainability. By encouraging Detroit homeownership and real estate entrepreneurship, Jonae envisions Maxey Real Estate Investments, LLC to be a company that successfully transforms Detroit neighborhoods.
TASHREEB
A monthly community-driven, micro-granting lunch where Iraqi residents create solutions for problems affecting their neighborhoods
JOUMANA ALTALLAL
TASHREEB is a monthly community-funded, micro-granting event that celebrates creative projects in Iraq, inspired by the work of Detroit SOUP. Residents challenge themselves to come up with solutions to problems affecting their neighborhoods or cities and vote on which project to fund with the micro-grants. Joumana’s long-term vision for this project involves the monthly TASHREEB taking place in each governorate of Iraq as a space that is sustainable and accessible to all residents. As an Iraqi-born writer, refugee, and first-generation graduate student, Joumana has been constantly inspired by the courage, beauty, and resilience of Iraqis and hopes TASHREEB can do the work of supporting all Iraqis in their dreams towards a brighter Iraq.
WE THE PROUD Polycultural Productions
A creative outlet for students to engage with identity as fluid through artistic exchange and shared expression, intentionally centralizing minority communities and experiences
CIALE CHARFAUROS, ALANA POLLARD, MICHAEL TONG, MIGUEL AVILES-ELROD, AMANDA KUO
We the People Representing Our Unifying Diversity (PROUD) is a polycultural productions company that highlights the intersectionality of identity through interdisciplinary performances and cultural events. We the PROUD was started as a means to build community and solidarity through artistic exploration centered around the guiding principles of representation, validation, normalization, and reclamation. Over the summer, the team will plan their 2020-2021 theatre season and develop organizational structure. They hope to ultimately create a wider space for creative engagement as well as a pipeline into the arts industry for University of Michigan students to showcase stories affecting marginalized voices.
MPact Solar
Providing students with the opportunity to address environmental justice issues through hands-on service learning projects in local communities
CHRISTIAN CANNON, ALEXIS THOMPSON
MPact Solar seeks to provide sustainable solutions to environmental justice issues faced in underrepresented communities. Their pilot project will focus on creating an equitable and sustainable local food system that empowers communities through education. In collaboration with Growing Hope, MPact Solar is working to expand their youth programs by teaching children in urban communities about solar energy. Currently and into the summer, MPact Solar is working at Perry Elementary School to install a solar energy system. Christian and Alexis hope to integrate these systems into every educational establishment in the city of Ypsilanti and create more young sustainable leaders from urban communities to fight climate change.
FreeRange Mobility
Building an electric knee scooter that students in need can lease at an affordable cost
BRYAN ROSELLO
FreeRange Mobility seeks to provide affordable electric knee scooter rental options to patients with leg injuries. Having experienced an injury of his own, Bryan wants to relieve the physical and mental stress injuries can cause in college students’ lives. With his electric knee scooter, he hopes to promote the safety and independence of injured students. This summer, Bryan plans to finalize FreeRange Mobility’s scooter prototype and develop a mobility solution that will work for all patients, regardless of the severity of injury. He looks to eventually partner with University Health Services to start a leasing service that allows students with documented leg injuries to check out an electric knee scooter and navigate campus more easily, leading to a more accessible campus for all.
Grooming Young Millionaires
A financial literacy summer camp from youth ages 13 to 17 in Flint, Michigan
TYRAN CHANDLER, KENYUN PITTMAN, SYLVESTER TYLER
Grooming Young Millionaires aims to give teenagers in Flint a better foundation for financial stability and futures through a financial literacy summer camp. By sharing their knowledge, Sylvester, Tyran, and Kenyun hope to expose students to the basic principles of finance and give back to their community. This summer, they will run the summer camp and work on the sustainability of their organization. They plan to expand Grooming Young Millionaires into multiple camps, reaching a wider range of students and giving them the tools to apply what they have learned at home. In the future, they aim for Grooming Young Millionaires to be the principal curriculum, teaching youth financial literacy in an enjoyable and engaging way.
SweetDreams
A product allowing children to store their smartphone before bedtime to create physical separation while continuing to provide important phone features
JASON PI, XUAN JIN, STEVEN SONG
SweetDreams is a box that forms a barrier between a child and their smartphone but still allows them to use the phone's necessary functions such as an alarm clock, and offers phone charging, night light, and UV light sanitizing to help children let go of their phones before bedtime. The device has a parent control app that lets parents know how children are using the box. The SweetDreams team created this product as a solution to issues of smartphone overuse by children and parents, sometimes at the expense of healthy sleep. Jason, Xuan, and Steven hope to create a world where children feel comfortable with their smartphone use and maintain healthy habits throughout their lives.
The Simple Nest
A one-stop online platform providing parents with products, services, and information to surround their babies with a natural, plastic and chemical free lifestyle
JUAN ANDRES TURNER AND SHEILA GRANDIO
The Simple Nest is an online platform that provides parents with everything they need to surround their babies with a chemical free, plastic-free, and overall natural lifestyle: products, professional services, and information. Inspired by their own experiences with their children, Juan and Sheila hope to address the waste produced by the baby products industry as well as promote healthy living in families. This summer, they plan to launch the first beta version of The Simple Nest in New York City. With hopes to slow plastic consumption at its source, Juan and Sheila aim to help environmentally conscious parents and their children live the healthiest lives possible.
Motisha
Providing training on health and financial literacy to the front-line health workers in East Africa
MAXWELL OTIATO
Motisha, meaning “motivation” in Kiswahili, aims to incentivize and empower community health workers in East Africa to improve the quality of care for their clients by offering health and financial literacy training. As a child of Kenyan immigrants, Maxwell feels compelled to find solutions for his own relatives and community health workers who cannot afford quality care. This summer, Maxwell hopes to complete Motisha’s training modules and explore sustainable financial models for a pilot workshop while strengthening his relationships with the local government and communities in Kisumu, Kenya. Maxwell hopes Motisha can become a mobile app for health workers that collaborates with mobile banking technology to create a compensation model tailored to the workers’ specific needs.
Mental Block Films
A mental health film series featuring representative mental health experiences, encouraging dialogue, and offering resources to find support and understanding
JUNE RAYBURN, SAM BUSHI, SARAH BUSHI
Mental Block Films is creating a short-film series that focuses on accurate mental health representation and providing resources for those in need. The team started Mental Block Films to create authentic and informative portrayals of mental health issues with the goals of ending stigma and building understanding. Over the summer, June, Sam, and Sarah hope to expand their team and shoot the first film of the series, focusing on Bipolar Disorder. Ultimately, they aim to create a full series of films that cover a variety of mental health topics in accessible and understandable ways. They hope that a large and diverse audience will watch the films, recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and seek support for themselves and others.
Bloom Bodies College Access
An educational program in Detroit by first-gen college graduates from the inner city centering around college access, social justice, and literary/performing arts
CANDACE CURTIS, KALYN SANDERFER
Bloom Bodies is a college access program preparing Detroit high-schoolers for the transition to college. As first-generation college students and Detroit natives, Kalyn and Candace want to share their experiences with students in their community to promote successful transitions to higher education. They plan on running their first program over the summer to prepare high school juniors for their senior year and the college application process. In addition to SAT prep and guidance through the process, Bloom Bodies works to empower Detroit students’ social, emotional, and cultural competence. Kalyn and Candace ultimately hope to foster a cohort of confident students who pursue advanced educational opportunities and assist in the revitalization of their community.
Period
Placing machines with free menstrual products in the Shapiro Library
JULIA S
Period focuses on installing free menstrual product dispensers in the Shapiro Library as the first step to push the University of Michigan to install similar dispensers across campus. Julia believes that access to these products is a human right and students deserve affordable access to them. Julia plans to work with campus administration to have a machine installed in the Shapiro Library by the end of August. She hopes to finalize plans on collecting data on the machine usage and work with other groups to make this a university-wide project. Julia’s goal is that within five years, every bathroom on campus offers free menstrual products in some form, reducing the shame and stigma around periods.
Paz y Bienestar En La Villita
Launching a series of classes in Chicago South Side’s Little Village to foster a sense of community and prevent the perpetuation of gang-related violence
HEIDI TORRES
Paz y Bienestar en La Villita is a nonprofit educational program that works to foster community and minimize the perpetuation of gang-related violence in Chicago South Side’s Little Village. The program will launch a series of free classes, including martial arts training, mariachi and violin lessons, and English education for adults. By emphasizing community action, Heidi highlights the power of collaboration to create change. Her organization ultimately plans to work with politicians to make education a prominent government solution to violence in the city. Through Paz y Bienestar en La Villita, Heidi wants to foster a stronger community in Little Village valuing peace and collectivity.
Earthen Housing Solutions
Developing environmentally sustainable, affordable housing on Kalweni Farm in South Africa
DAVID VAN VELDEN
Earthen Housing Solutions aims to provide eco-friendly cost-effective housing to low-income individuals in South Africa. David is passionate about this project as he will begin by rebuilding the housing on his family farm in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. To provide improved livelihood assets for employees, Earthen Housing Solutions will improve infrastructure through the integration of community gardens, rainwater catchment, and greywater sanitation. David plans to build initial installments that serve as prototypes, informing his future designs and systems to ensure the housing communities can eventually become self-sufficient. With plans to expand across South Africa and into Mozambique, David hopes to make housing sustainable and accessible for all.
Detroit Prom Fund
Providing Detroit high school seniors in-need with mentorship and full sponsorship of all prom expenses
CHELSIE THOMPSON, PIERRA WHITE, KYLA WHITE, SHELBI SMITH
Detroit Prom Fund is a nonprofit foundation providing high school seniors with mentorship and memorable prom experiences. Founded by Shelbi, Pierra, Kyla, and Chelsie, this organization addresses the affordability gap of prom for underprivileged students. This summer, they plan to strengthen and build relationships with sponsors and share their past successes with their various stakeholders. Additionally, they hope to double the cohort size of students in their program for the upcoming year. In the long term, Detroit Prom Fund aims to expand their program to other cities across the country, helping prepare more seniors for prom and beyond.
The Michigan Gayly
A monthly newspaper published by students at the University of Michigan within the LGBTQ+ community
GREY WEINSTEIN
“The Michigan Gayly: LGBTQ+ Issues” is a monthly periodical consisting of articles focused on LGBTQ+ current events, politics, culture, and entertainment on the U-M campus and in the world at large. The paper creates an outlet of self-expression for Michigan students of all backgrounds within the LGBTQ+ community while spreading awareness of LGBTQ+ issues to queer and straight readers alike. They hope to start distributing their paper to local businesses, build partnerships with other student organizations and professors, and begin running advertisements to allow for a sustainable, self-funded model in the future. Ultimately, “The Michigan Gayly” aims to increase their reach and become an integral part of the literary community at U-M.
TIDE Project
Board game to make social-emotional learning more accessible to underprivileged students
LANCE YING
Tide Project aims to develop a board game that teaches students about different social-emotional skills in a fun and engaging way. Lance hopes to raise awareness about depression, making knowledge and resources more accessible to students. This summer, he will continue developing the game and test it with more students. Lance hopes to use this board game to enhance the understanding of mental health for 100,000 students. By partnering with schools and NGOs to facilitate the games in local learning communities, Lance aspires to teach underprivileged students about the importance of developing social-emotional skills.
Girls Giving Back Detroit
Supporting youth throughout the city of Detroit with mentorship, education, and empowerment
JANICE SMITH, MELANIE WELLS, KIARA JOHNSON, NENNAYA LEWIS
Girls Giving Back Detroit is a nonprofit organization striving to educate, encourage, and empower underprivileged youth in Detroit through community service projects, informative workshops, and mentorship. They hope to mitigate barriers to education for students in the city and provide community members the tools to give back. The team aspires to equip Girls Giving Back Detroit’s members throughout their multiple campus chapters with the skills and experience necessary to make decisions that will positively impact the people they serve. This summer, the team will continue to build their organizational model and run their programming with plans to foster a sustainable community that empowers Detroit youth for years to come.
MintyBrain Gaming
Creating a gaming platform to help elementary and middle school students visualize math concepts, build math intuition, and develop confidence in their math abilities
DAN ZAKON
MintyBrain Gaming aims to help elementary and middle school students in math by building a 3D gaming platform called Smartyville that allows students to visualize mathematical concepts. Although Dan never considered himself a “math person” growing up, he discovered the beauty of math and its power to simulate naturally occurring phenomena when he was introduced to another 3D game engine in high school. The goal of MintyBrain Gaming is to reframe math as fun and exciting for young students, help them develop math intuition, and enable them to feel confident in their math abilities. This summer, Dan plans to release the beta of Smartyville and collect data from parents and students about the platform.
Visionary Co
Creating an innovative, entrepreneurial space where Ghanaians can work on their craft from ideation to completion
JEREMY ATUOBI AND GLORIA GYAKARI
Visionary Co seeks to provide creative and driven young people in Ghana with a physical space to leverage their unique abilities and passions. Through this space, Jeremy and Gloria want visionaries to have access to the resources that can help turn abstract ideas into concrete achievement. They also plan to host webinars for young professionals focused on brainstorming new ways to help local communities in Ghana and developing their career goals. They plan on collaborating with the community in Accra to create partnerships, connect with volunteers, and coordinate networking events. Jeremy and Gloria hope to empower future generations and fulfill lifelong dreams to serve the land that they have roots in.
Dreamers Soccer Clinic
Using soccer to increase the college access rate and transform the Antelope Valley soccer community
FRANCISCO “PANCHITO” J. RAMIREZ RUEDA
Dreamers Soccer Clinic is an organization aimed at helping student-athletes achieve their collegiate recruitment goals. Francisco started Dreamers Soccer Clinic because he wanted to make higher education and athletic aspirations more accessible to his local soccer community. This summer, the organization plans on hosting their first college conference for high school student-athletes in Lancaster, California focused on providing resources and bringing the Antelope Valley soccer community together. The conference will inform attendees about scholarships, financial aid, NCAA eligibility, and recruitment. Francisco hopes to expand Dreamers Soccer Clinic programs into other communities and continue positively impacting young athletes’ futures.
Vibrant Cosmetics Inc.
A cosmetic company and foundation providing scholarship money for students pursuing a career in beauty-related fields
KEAUNA LENTON
Vibrant Cosmetics is a cosmetic company that gives back to its community through educational scholarships for alternative post-secondary education, specifically in fields focused on beauty. Keauna created Vibrant Cosmetics because she wanted to help those in need while exploring her creative passions in creating and using makeup. This summer, she hopes to continue developing her prototype and organize the first scholarship application to be ready this upcoming school year. Ultimately, her goal is to turn Vibrant Cosmetics into a company that supplies jobs, educational tools for beauty industry students and professionals, and impactful post secondary educational scholarships.
Neighborhood United
Summer basketball program for students in third through tenth grade in Metro Detroit providing group mentoring, guest speakers, and field trips
LIA HOLLAND, TAYLOR SMITH
Neighborhood United is a youth basketball and leadership development nonprofit based in Harper Woods, Michigan that seeks to encourage students to practice positive leadership skills. The Neighborhood United team wants to bridge the gap between students in these areas and college institutions across the state and country by giving students the support and resources they may not have at home or school. This summer, Neighborhood United plans to implement more workshops that focus on college preparedness, financial literacy, and overall leadership skills. They plan on taking students on college tours where they have the opportunity to talk to current college students with whom they can identify. Lia and Taylor hope to eventually expand this program nationally to better service children.
IceVax
An alternative refrigeration method seeking to promote more equitable access to refrigeration in healthcare settings
SIKANDER KHAN, ESSAM AL-SNAYYAN, HUZAIFA PIPERDI
IceVax is a sustainable, energy-efficient refrigeration solution for communities with barriers that limit their access to proper healthcare refrigeration. Uses for IceVax include refrigerating vaccines, breast milk, and insulin among other critical medical supplies. The team is passionate about the work they are doing because they have witnessed the impacts of improper healthcare conditions on their own families and communities. Through IceVax, they hope to set an example of how public health and medicine can be implemented accessibly in rural communities through sustainable methods.
Ur Internet Friends
A cross-media platform that prioritizes the art and voices of young marginalized creatives while being accessible to these creatives
ISAAC COENCA AND RACHEL KENNELLY
Ur Internet Friends is a cross-media platform with an independent art magazine focused on prioritizing the voices and art of young (and young at heart) marginalized creatives. Isaac and Rachel created Ur Internet Friends to share the art of these artists in print and online so young creatives can see themselves represented in media. After the success of their first issue, they hope to release the second issue of their zine in print and online. Eventually, they want to create a network consisting of podcasts, print, and other multimedia platforms to highlight diverse artists and stories.
Heal-Move-Shift
Fostering conversations around health and wellness in the Michigan grade school student population
RAVI PATEL, GIGI GONZALES, SANJANA SANTHRASALA, ALYSSA HARBAUGH
Heal-Move-Shift is a nonprofit organization focused on improving health and wellness education for K-12 students by hosting seminars in various elementary and high schools in Southeast Michigan. The Heal-Move-Shift team aims to create a welcoming space for students to discuss topics centered around physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as nutrition and drug education. Over the summer, they will revise their current curriculum to be more interactive, engaging, and personalized to students. The group hopes to build relationships with more schools in Michigan and throughout the country to share Heal-Move-Shift programs and curriculum.
Michigan Caregivers and Student Parents (MCaSP)
Building a community of student-parents, collecting demographic data, and creating documentation detailing student-parent classroom rights with suggestions to promote equity
KERRIGAN FITZPATRICK AND LYSS SHUMAKER
MCaSP is a student-led initiative working to establish and build social support among student parents on the University of Michigan campus. This summer, the MCaSP team hopes to continue working with the Office of the Ombudsman to build a document highlighting reasonable student parent accommodations in the classroom. To address challenges student parents face, they hope to gather data about student parents at the University and gather information about resources offering kid-friendly activities and gear across campus. MCaSP hopes their resources will be offered in every course syllabus and ultimately seeks to establish a co-working space that offers services such as drop-in daycare.
The Lookout Project
Aiming to educate returning citizens on overdose prevention, signs and symptoms of an overdose, and the procedure to follow in case they should encounter one
MAKAYLA WYLY, HANNAH AVERILL, VICTORIA GARROW
The Lookout Project works to provide overdose education and prevention resources to reentering citizens from prison. Their project will include educational sessions on overdose prevention, harm reduction practices, and the proper usage of Narcan, an opioid antagonist that can reverse potentially fatal overdoses, for returning citizens who completed their educational course prior to release. This summer, they plan to launch their project at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Their long term vision is that their model for overdose education and Narcan distribution be implemented in every jail and prison across the state of Michigan.
YouBlue
Instant access to on-demand commercial jazz recordings to facilitate the discovery of emerging and underrepresented jazz artists
REGEN LE ROY
YouBlue catalogs commercial recordings of jazz standards in YouTube's music library for curation on realfakebook.org to promote emerging and underrepresented jazz artists. Regen is passionate about this project as it facilitates increased jazz studies for music students and teachers. Ultimately, the team aims to catalog the 21 subgenres of jazz for curation on their website and create special collections for underrepresented minorities in jazz. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, YouBlue has elected to donate their grant towards optiMize’s community aid relief fund to help Washtenaw County during this crisis.
My Voice, My Vote, My Future
Informing citizens about the importance of engaging in local politics and their available options for voting to increase voter turnout
KEIRRA SCOTT
NOT PICTURED: KARISHA SCOTT
My Voice, My Vote, My Future encourages voters to learn about their local politicians and available options in upcoming elections. This summer, Keirra and Karisha will work to inspire Detroit residents in underprivileged areas to play an active role in the democratic process by connecting them with resources to make informed decisions. Their goal is to have at least 500 registered voters to commit to voting during the presidential election through videos on My Voice, My Vote, My Future’s social media pages. Keirra and Karisha also plan on hosting a picnic this summer, where local candidates running for office address their platforms and current issues with the community. The long term vision for this project is to create programs and events informing and engaging residents with the democratic process within the communities of Detroit.
MA:E Magazine
An outlet for the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community on campus to explore their interests, express themselves, and empower one another
KATHERINE YANG, CHRISTINE PARK, ANABEL NAM, AUDREY LING
MA:E Magazine is a creative collective uniting the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community by showcasing their voices. The publication’s mission is to engage and empower APIDA individuals by supporting their passions, encouraging creativity, and providing a platform for expression. As students themselves, founders Audrey, Christine, Katherine, and Anabel aim to motivate others to pursue creative expression, as it can relieve stress and foster connection. The founders will be working to strengthen the organization and increase engagement across the magazine’s platforms over the summer. The MA:E team hopes MA:E Magazine becomes the hub for embracing and sharing cultural differences and sets a lasting example of the power of community-driven representation.
Revolin Sports
Creating high-performance, competitive, and environmentally-friendly sporting equipment
HUGHES DAVIS
NOT PICTURED: SOPHIE VANDEN BOSCH, ROCK MCINNES, GRETA DAVIS
Revolin Sports designs high-performance and environmentally friendly sporting goods, focusing on promoting a healthy lifestyle as well as supporting sustainable practices. Hughes is passionate about Revolin Sports because it drives positive change while creating novel and innovative technology. This summer, Revolin Sports hopes to launch their first product, the only sustainable pickleball paddle on the market that is 95% recyclable. They also plan to launch sustainable apparel, as well as a sponsorship of a top 20 professional player. Revolin aspires to become a major sports brand with a specific focus on recyclable and biodegradable products to be a zero landfill, carbon negative company.
Vulvarity
Providing comprehensive and equitable reproductive health and justice education to young women and girls through a series of interactive and collaborative workshops
JOCELYN RICE
Vulvarity is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide the tools necessary for young women to learn about their physical and political bodies, giving them the confidence to exercise agency over their own lives. Jocelyn started Vulvarity because of her own experience with the inadequacies of the American sex education curriculum. This summer, she will launch Vulvarity’s flagship program with a free, three-workshop series offering education and discussion on topics pertaining to anatomy and physiology, sex and consent, and reproductive health and justice. She hopes to ultimately create a more comprehensive and equitable framework for sexual education in America for all young adults, no matter their gender or sexual identity.
Michigan Neuroprosthetics
Designing cost affordable, accessible, and scalable myoelectric prostheses for children
AASTHA DHARIA, MAXTON WILSON, JACK GRAHAM, OLGA TSUKER
Michigan Neuroprosthetics is a student organization that designs affordable 3D-printed arms for children in need. The founders of this project noticed that traditional arms are incredibly expensive, especially for kids, who need to constantly swap out prosthetics as they grow. They aim to reduce this cost by documenting and making their designs open-source so anyone with a 3D printer can create an arm readily customizable to their needs. This summer, Michigan Neuroprosthetics aims to improve their software and work with amputees to analyze how individuals naturally interact with the arm. The team’s goal is to turn Michigan Neuroprosthetics from a student organization to a fully-fledged design team that continuously changes and innovates in the prosthetics industry and biomedical industry at large.
Lillian Augusta
Offering plant-based, biodegradable braiding hair that is suitable for the consumer and sustainable for the environment
NANA BRITWUM AND JANNICE NEWSON
Lillian Augusta hopes to revolutionize Black haircare by developing plant-based braiding hair. By building an eco-friendly product made from an invasive plant species, Lillian Augusta seeks to simultaneously reduce the discomfort caused by the traditionally plastic-based braiding hair and benefit the environment. Jannice and Nana have taken a dynamic, intentional approach to addressing beauty by combining their education in agriculture and plant biology with their black identities. This summer, they will be working on building their business structure and developing a viable product for consumers with the long-term goal of eliminating synthetic braiding hair. Jannice and Nana aim to create a shift in both of these industries, making the intersection of hair and beauty with sustainability the new norm.