eMerge helps students become leaders in the optiMize community.

optiMize is first and foremost a community. Together, we co-create the programs and courses that optiMize offers. To build and sustain a community like this requires strong and dedicated leadership—and in the optiMize community, that role is largely student-led.

optiMize is a partnership between a student organization and full-time professional staff. eMerge is the leadership development program for student leaders to run all optiMize programs collaboratively with staff.

Support Team:

Support Team is one of the best ways to get involved with optiMize. Acting as our general member base, Support Team allows you to take on a unique role in the Social Innovation Challenge, growing leadership and facilitation skills through supporting participants and their projects, as well as serving as a pathway to joining our leadership team.

Instead of creating your own project as a participant in the Social Innovation Challenge, you will be able to work with the wide range of projects our participants develop through participant connection and community building.

With your time on Support Team from September to January, you can expect to attend weekly meetings and our various Social Innovation Challenge events, forming connections with SIC participants, mentors, staff, and the optiMize community as a whole!
This role also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how optiMize operates and a chance to explore how your own interests can grow within optiMize leadership. A few of the roles you could pursue in the future are listed below. If social innovation, student-led change, and learning through real experiences excite you, then this is the place for you.

Interested in joining our Support Team? Reach out to Kamila at kamilam@umich.edu

eMerge is one of the most exciting rising facets of optiMize, providing an unparalleled opportunity to hone our leadership skills as a team through thoughtful reflection, engaging exercises, and intentional community building

David Hargitt, optiMize Leadership Team

As part of the optiMize Support Team, you will:

  1. Cultivate an inspiring community of people who care about changing the world!

  2. Support the optiMize Social Innovation Challenge through participant connection

  3. Take initiative in facilitating discussion and leading activities with SIC participants

  4. Engage in Servant Leadership

  5. Witness and contribute to incredible student-led projects across a variety of topics

  6. Build professional skills and network with other members of the optiMize community

As you progress in the eMerge program, you’ll:

  1. Develop an understanding of how optiMize functions and what roles are available

  2. Begin to focus on a specific project or role area

  3. Have the opportunity to apply for a paid Leadership Team position

  4. Or elect to return to the volunteer Support Team for another year and serve as a leader in the group

Some skills and learning opportunities you can gain in our optiMize team include:

Recruitment & Promotion Organizational Culture Events & Logistics

Storytelling Graphic Design & Illustration Mentorship

Curriculum Facilitation Participant Experience Fundraising