MW NW IW v mw 46 --5 Wednesday, April 17, 2013 // The Statement m Elisabeth Hindert, an LSA senior, swept into the room, clutching a coffee cup and armed with an oversized smile. She had just flown back to Ann Arbor from New York City after a round of job interviews instead of traveling to Atlanta to watch the Wolverines play for their first National Championship in 20 years. As Hindert settled into her chair, she said with a frustrated sigh that she had to come back to Ann Arbor because, well, she just had too many responsihilities. If anyone can claim too many responsibilities, it is certainly her. Hindert is the head of mar- keting for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group that works to connect student- athletes with the community, and the director of I Will, a student campaign to educate students and raise awareness about sexual assault at the University. She ran track for the University for two years hefore a career ending injury led her to become a coxswain on therowingbteam. "It was hard but the rowing team kind of picked me up," she said. She hecame involved with SAAC early on in her University career, helping to plan events and community service activities to hring student-athletes "out of their huhble." Hindert also planned workshops with Greg Harden, director of athletic counsel- ing, to educate student-athletes on health and wellness, including education on sexual assault. She soon realized that she wanted to con- front the endemic problem of sexual assault on campus - one in four women on college campuses are sexually assaulted. "The numbers are so staggering," she said, Department to use student-athletes as a platform on which to launch a campus-wide effort, the I Will organization, to bring about a conversation with the University commu- nity about sexual assault. This has included rebranding some Uni- versity athletics gear with a teal block 'M' - teal is the color representing organiza- tions against sexual assault - and filming student-athletes for a PSA that will be shown ambassador-training program for students who want to work with the organization. "We're making a positive campaign to just educate and make people more aware and let the conversation happen," she said. "By just doing that, we are just making'a big differ- ence." I Will has also been working with Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center and the University administration especially E. Royster Harper, University vice president of student affairs - to develop better sexual assault policy. "They are taking much more seri- ously," she said. "They have been amazing and we have haer working together." Hindert said sher elieves that her organization has heen effective hecause it is a student organization that is bringing this conversation forward. "The only way youare going to infiltrate andconnect is if you are student working with students," she said. Hindert paused and laughed after 25 min- utes of rapidly describing her career at the University and her work with I Will and asked if anything she had just said made any sense. She looked exhausted and amhitious and proud. "(I'm proud of the) fact that it happened," she said. "That it actually started and that next year it is going to he higger and better now that the foundation is there." NATASHA'JANARDAN/Daily 1 leaning forward in her chair. She added that she also had disagreed with the manner in which the University dealt with sexual assaults. "(Students) weren't getting much support, especially from the University," she said. "If (a student) went and reported it to the Uni- versity, they would handle in the same way as if that person who sexually assaulted you stole your backpack." Hindert decided to work the Athletics at Crisler Center, Yost Ice Arena and the Big House. The response to the PSA "was unbeliev- able" Hindert said. "It changed (those sexual assault statistics) from statistics and num- bers to people." She said the organization has been grow- ing rapidly. They have hosted multiple events on campus, including an awareness week this week, where they're going to "paint the town teal." The group is also developing an eet Rama Mwenesi, a your work? Whatever we do, we wanted our senior studying Industrial work to mean something." Operations engineer- This past summer, Mwenesi learned first- ing. Mwenesi is the co- hand how E-MAGINE's work has affected founder of E-MAGINE, African rural populations. Mwenesi traveled a multidisciplinary organization that works back to the community centers in Kenya - to provide Internet access to rural, marginalized populations across the world. "Our primary goal is education and entrepreneurship," Mwenesisaid. "To help teachers help students by provid- te , ing them with access to educational resources through the Internet. All A n w along I've known that just to be able to come up with this idea, none of that would have happened if I didn't have W the education I had." Inspired by a Google challenge as a freshman, Mwenesi delved into L the task of finding a way to provide connectivity to off-the-grid popula- tions around the world. Today, E-MAGINE the country where he grew up - and gath- has built seven systems, with six deployed in ered testimonials to see how people's lives four different countries: Kenya, Sierra Leone, had been impacted by the new Internet sys- Brazil and Zambia. What began as an idea tems. He found citizens gathering informa- has now become a full-fledged reality. tion on farming techniques, agriculture and "Everyone has a good idea, but the ques- weather cycles with their new Internet con- tion is how do you measure the impact of nectivity. Students also used the system to apply to colleges or apply to government jobs. "Seeing what we set out to do has accom- plished more than we imagined, no pun intended. That was a great feeling for all of us - seeing that we've done something. We've impacted people's lives. And while we impact When asked what he likes to do in his free time - when he finds free time - he said get- ting back into piano playing, super bike rac- ing and flying. In that order. "Those are all things I would like to do in my life. But my true passion, my favorite hobby, is just sitting and think- ing. Contemplating. That's what I love to do. Just sit down and think of ways to optimize everything." -) Regarding his future plans, Mwenesi answers with the same calmness. He talks about taking time to find where his talent and passions inter- sect and what the world truly needs. And uncertainty of the future isn't what scares him. "I'm more afraid of killing that potential to be who I was supposed to be." Mwenesi is humbled by his selection as a Student of the Year. "To be recognized, one is appreciative. But, I hope through this other people can realize impossible is nothing. With true and sincere intentions, great things can come out of it." their lives, ourlives arebeing impacted too." In addition to E-MAGINE, Mwenesi has. taught design engineering through the Uni- versity's IDEA Institute and is active in the Muslim Students' Association. He is also captainofthe University's men's boxing team and involved with Roteract service club.