“Why optiMize?” from Cohort 10 Fellows
What Makes the Social Innovation Challenge So Unique? Read what optiMize Cohort 10 Fellows Have to say!
As our 11th Social Innovation Challenge has begun, we asked Cohort 10 Fellows about what they gained from participating in optiMize. We hope that their stories and projects inspire you to ask yourself, Why not me?
Hear from Emily, Isaac, and Adviti
Emily Eitzman, CLR Academy
Pronouns: She/Her
Emily is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Writing. Her project, CLR Academy is a free program that goes out to a number of underserved communities to teach kids sports such as soccer, basketball, football, yoga in addition to other activities like reading, writing and wellness. CLR uses sport to create engagement to introduce new wellness concepts such as mindfulness and nutrition.
Visit CLR Academy’s instagram at @clracademy_
When my friend Bilal told me about the concept of CLR Academy, I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of it. After the first day of CLR and seeing all of the people who came out and all of the kids having fun, I knew that this was going to become a much larger part of my life.
optiMize has provided me with an entire community of people to whom I can come to if I ever have questions or need advice or additional support for any endeavor. OptiMize has supported my ideas and has helped me to develop them further. My favorite part about optiMize is the emphasis the organization places on community and being there for each other/supporting each other. I truly feel I have extended my family by being a part of optiMize, which is such a beautiful way to feel towards any group. OptiMize has been, without a doubt, one of the best things I have found at the University of Michigan.
To other participants, keep going and remember why you started! It's easy to begin to have doubts and second-thoughts as you move forward with your ideas and more challenges arise. Remind yourself why you started to give you that initial spark you had when beginning, and envision the impact you are going to have. Take things one day at a time and you can make great things happen in the long-run.
Isaac Coenca, Diasporic Artists Foundation
Pronouns: they/them
Isaac is a junior at UM majoring in communications and minoring in applied art. Their project, the Diasporic Artists Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to connect artists with each other internationally to disrupt barriers and provide an avenue for career progression through mentorship, art exhibitions, and other opportunities.
Follow along Isaac’s journey on Instagram @diasporicarts
optiMize helped my project by providing some structure to my project and mentorship while building it through the SIC. Being able to work on my project with optiMize was empowering and allowed me to stop doubting myself and figure out how to do the work I was passionate about. My favorite part of optiMize is the community and people who gravitate towards it! They are the most encouraging and supportive people I have met.
To other participants, consider process over outcome. Your project can develop and pivot and that is totally fine, try not to be attached to a certain final outcome or result and you will have so much more fun and less anxiety during the process of developing your project.
Adviti Mishra, MediHealth
Pronouns: She/Her
Adviti is a sophomore at UM majoring in computer science and minoring in economics. Her project, MediHealth is a mobile application that aims to solve the problem of medication non-compliance amongst the elderly by providing emotional support in an accessible manner.
Watching my grandparents struggle to take their medication on time inspired me to explore the issue of medication non-compliance. I initially took the approach of creating MediHealth as a pill reminder app that is more accessible with features like text to speech and multiple color schemes for various visibility-related disabilities. However, when I went back home and spent time with my grandmother who was diagnosed with cancer during the summer, I realized that what was lacking in existing solutions to medication non-compliance is emotional support - especially for migrants who have family members all over the world. My biggest inspiration through it all has been making the world a better and happier place.
optiMize has helped me grow as a passion-first entrepreneur and a human being. Yes, I have developed hard entrepreneurial skills - through the workshops spanning the ideation, prototyping, and pitching phases - that provided me with a framework as I build MediHealth. However, more importantly, optiMize has helped me grow as a human being by making me realize the importance of resilience and mindfulness. My learnings have been instrumental in helping me through any obstacles I faced in the process. I constantly remind myself that I'm creating something that has the potential to change lives for the better - and this serves as motivation enough to keep working towards solving an issue I'm passionate about. My favorite part about optiMize is the community! Everyone is so knowledgeable, supportive, and wholesome.
Going through the challenge can be frustrating when you encounter obstacles. It is totally okay to struggle sometimes (or multiple times, as in my case). In such situations, my biggest piece of advice is to take a step back and take a moment to pat yourself on the back for everything you have done so far. Choosing to participate in the challenge by itself demonstrates your passion for creating impact. Your passion is what has fueled you so far and your passion is what will always be there to fuel you if you constantly remind yourself why you started working on your project in the first place.
optiMize is a family, so whatever you go through, we go through together!