Three Students Attend Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting
Everyone and anyone can make a difference as long as they have a plan. That’s the advice President William J. Clinton gave nearly 1,000 students from across the United States and the globe, including three Rider students, at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) Meeting.
Joshabel De La Cruz, a senior Global Multinational major, Maria Gullo, a junior English and Psychology dual major, and Julie Morcate, a sophomore Secondary Education and English dual major, attended the second annual event, held from Friday, February 13, through Sunday, February 15, at the University of Texas at Austin.
CGI U challenges students and universities to tackle global problems in various focus areas including education, energy and climate change, global health, peace and human rights, and poverty alleviation. In order to be accepted into the program, students and universities must apply and submit a “Commitment to Action” plan addressing social or environmental challenges on campus, in the community or the world.
De La Cruz submitted a project she has been working on this year. Manos Unidades, a pilot program, will pair students with UNICCO workers on campus in order to teach the workers how to speak English and create a bond between the two communities at Rider.
“It’s an unbelievable experience,” said De La Cruz about why she applied to the program.
Meanwhile, Gullo and Morcate submitted their project, HerStory, a new feminist literary journal, set to debut on March 25. The journal, which will include a mixture of fiction, nonfiction, visual art, photography, interviews, plays, poetry and prose, aims to present contemporary feminist issues, and inspire and unite female students.
The students applied after learning about the opportunity through Dr. Adriano Duque, assistant professor of Spanish and director of external honors. Duque said this is the first year that Rider students have applied to participate in CGI U, a program he says helps students develop confidence and leadership skills and gain networking opportunities for their future careers.
“I think that they are doing a remarkable job in fostering dialogue in the Rider community,” said Duque about De La Cruz, Gullo and Morcate.
During the event, the students attended various workshops, networked and shared their action plans with students and learned how to put their plans into action. Workshop topics included Visionary Leadership in Education and Social Change, Targeted Actions with Big Impacts: Seeding Climate Solutions on Campus, and Raising Hope: Taking Action to Protect and Empower Women, and Leveraging Technology to Alleviate Poverty.
Featured speakers included Clinton; Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes; Christine, Karumba, country director of Women for Women International in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Natalie Portman, actress and activist. The students also had a chance to experience Austin’s music scene when they attended performances by The Pajamas and Gary Clarke Jr. on Friday night.
De La Cruz said she was able to share the concept of Manos Unidades and gain inspirational ideas, including a community garden, from her peers.
“It was great to hear people say, ‘you can make an impact,’” she said.
Morcate agreed. She was moved by Zainab Salbi, president and chief executive officer for Women for Women International. Salbi, who grew up in Iraq, founded the nonprofit, which has distributed more than $42 million through direct aid and microcredit loans to more than 153,000 female survivors of war since 1993.
Morcate said the workshops were eye opening as she learned about women in poverty and sex slavery. “We learned that women are pillars of the society,” she said. “How women are treated tells a lot about society.”
Morcate, who is also a Rider Community Scholar/Bonner Leader, hopes that HerStory can sponsor activities geared toward helping women in the area.
Gullo, president and editor-in-chief of the journal, said she was inspired by rousing leaders who made her feel capable of doing extraordinary things.
“What I got out of the experience was a greater sense of understanding of my ability to do whatever I can do,” Gullo said. “We learned a lot about how to incorporate HerStory into the Rider community, connect HerStory to colleges and making HerStory a national idea.”
