Wednesday, April 15, 2015 // The Statement
4B

W

hen students reflect on their 
time on campus, many will 
remember game days, the 

Ann Arbor winter, and long study hours. 
LSA senior Keya Patel, however, will 
remember the many hours she spent 
working with communities around the 
world.

Since her freshman year, Patel has 

worked with the Better Living Using 
Engineering 
Laboratory, 
a 
student 

organization guiding nine team proj-
ects using a human-centered sustain-
able design process to collaborate with 
communities both local and around the 
world to work on an identified need. 
Some of the groups’ previous projects 
include providing nighttime lighting, 
organizing education engineering work-

shops and irrigating fields and farm-
lands.

Six of the teams are based abroad in 

communities in Nicaragua, Guatemala, 
Jamaica, Mexico, India, and El Salvador. 
The teams travel to their partner com-
munities over class breaks throughout 
the year to help implement their proj-
ects.

As BLUElab president this past year, 

Patel is one of a few team members not 
studying engineering — she’s earning 
dual degrees in International Studies 
and Biology with a minor in Business. 
Though she was originally a little intim-
idated, she said collaborating with stu-
dents from different fields of study has 
been an important experience.

“Working with the engineers and 

L

SA senior Natasha Dabrowski’s face 
turned red from “talking about herself” 
and her nomination for Student of the 

Year.

“I’m truly humbled by this,” she said. “I do feel 

like I’ve been a really hard worker on campus, but 
I know that there are a lot of people that put in a 
lot of time and energy and effort into making this 
campus a better place.”

Dabrowski is LSA Student Government presi-

dent and an active member of the Michigan Club 
Tennis team and Delta Gamma sorority. But she 
was more than willing to take time out of her busy 
schedule to discuss her nomination.

Throughout the conversation, Dabrowski speaks 

expressively, but cautiously about her achievements 
on campus — modest about her role in impacting 
her larger campus community and never failing to 
give credit to those who have helped her in achiev-
ing her goals.

Dabrowski served as a student representative 

on the Race and Ethnicity Subcommittee respon-
sible for updating the requirement for the coming 
school year. She was also responsible for creating 
a religion minor through the University’s History 
department, which she was the first student to 
complete.

“I did this not without the help of many other 

students on LSA student government and adminis-
trators,” Dabrowski said. “I came to campus recog-
nizing a lack of an overarching major or minor or 
program where students could learn about a lot of 
different things rather than study one specific eth-
nic studies or religious studies course.”

Diversity is important to Dabrowski. Her family, 

she said, hosted a foreign exchange student almost 
every year while she was in high school, and, while 
she valued the international exposure, she still 
found it limiting.

“Here on campus I’ve been able to work with 

I

t’s suggested that those who grow 
up in the Midwest are forever sub-
scribed to the region’s wholesome 

values — an admirable work ethic con-
trasted by modesty, along with the desire 
to help others. If there’s a student who 
embodies the favorable, friendly and 
hard-working Midwestern archetype, its 
Ford school junior Hannah Lee.

Between her extroverted nature and 

her glass-half-full mentality, it’s clear 
why Lee is regarded as a positive influ-
ence within both the classroom and 
her extensive extracurriculars. She’s a 
socializer through and through — outgo-
ing and outspoken, radiating optimism 
when she speaks of her causes of concern, 

mainly social justice and equality. With 
accolades including her 2014 Freshman 
of The Year award, it’s clear she’s been 
and continues to be on track to pursue 
her goals as a catalyst of social change.

Along with pursuing a degree in public 

policy focused on inequalities in health 
and the environment coupled with a 
minor in community action and social 
change, Lee is also employed at the Life 
Sciences Institute, is a recently elected 
member of Central Student Government, 
is involved in Common Ground through 
the program on Intergroup Relations, 
and is captain of the women’s club soccer 
team.

“I think through all of my organiza-

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily

LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily

BRIAN BECKWITH/Daily

