12 Babson Students to Participate in Clinton Global Initiative University

WELLESLEY, Mass., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twelve Babson College students will participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) 2014 Annual Meeting at Arizona State University in Tempe, March 21-23.

Former President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton will convene more than 1,000 global student leaders from more than 55 colleges and universities.

CGI U 2014 attendees will have access to more than $750,000 in seed funding to implement their Commitments to Action: new, specific, and measurable plans to address urgent challenges. The funding marks the largest sum in the meeting's history, including $650,000 from the growing CGI University Network of more than 55 colleges and universities, including Babson. Another $100,000 comes from the Resolution Project Social Venture Challenge, a competition between aspiring student entrepreneurs with sustainable enterprises.

Babson's CGI U Student Participants & their Commitments to Action

* Julian Addy '14 & Daquan Oliver '14
Commitment to Action: Recesspreneurs, Inc. http://recesspreneurs.org/ 
Focus: Education
Description: Recesspreneurs is an after-school program which empowers disadvantaged youth by teaching life skills through entrepreneurship.

* Jeremy Cai '16
Commitment to Action: Sprout Bin http://sproutb.in/ 
Focus: Environment and Climate Change
Description: Sprout introduces composting into small residential areas where traditional composting would be impossible.

* Rene Del Castillo '14
Commitment to Action: H2knO Championing Water -- "Better Hydration. Better Health"
Focus: Public Health
Description: H2knO will develop a smart water bottle and complimentary software for Grupo Bimbo - the largest bread company in the world.

* Brian Hickey '15
Commitment to Action: Engeye Inc.
Focus: Poverty Alleviation
Description: Engeye provides business and vocational opportunities to families and individuals in rural Uganda.

* Irene Laochaisri '17
Commitment to Action: Isara
Focus: Peace and Human Rights
Description: Isara is a theater company that will produce pieces addressing the complexities of human trafficking, encouraging business leaders and entrepreneurs to reflect on how they are impacting or can impact it both positively and negatively.

* Austin Pearl '17, Krystina Posada '17, and Yulkendy Valdez '17
Commitment to Action: Ya Si! for Change
Focus: Poverty Alleviation
Description: Ya Si! will provide summer internships for high school girls (11th-12th grade) in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic with nearby businesses in order to obtain skills that will allow them to start and maintain professional careers.

* Savitha Sridharan M'14
Commitment to Action: Aurora
Focus: Environment and Climate Change
Description: Aurora is focused on reducing the use of kerosene lamps and hazardous fuel to light up the house or to cook in rural communities in India.

* Nitiya Walker '14
Commitment to Action: Seeds of Fortune
Focus: Education
Description: The Seeds of Fortune Scholarship Program teaches high school juniors and seniors strategic methods of searching and applying for college scholarships in New York City.

* Michelene Wilkerson '16
Commitment to Action: 36HUGHES Racial Reconciliation Forum
Focus: Peace and Human Rights
Description: The 36HUGHES Racial Reconciliation Forum is an independently organized conference that seeks to engage audiences in intimate conversations about race through the lens of individual experiences.

The Babson students will engage in developing solutions to some of the most pressing global dilemmas, including education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health.

They will be joined by experts, entrepreneurs, and civically-engaged leaders including:

* Bill Drayton, Chief Executive Officer, Ashoka

* Gabrielle Giffords, Former U.S. Representative and Founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions

* Mark Kelly, Former Astronaut and Founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions

* Jimmy Kimmel, Host and Executive Producer, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

* John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona

* Cindy Hensley McCain, Founding Member, Eastern Congo Initiative

* Reeta Roy, President and Chief Executive Officer, The MasterCard Foundation

* Maria Elena Salinas, Anchor, Univision News

* Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia

* Lauryn Williams, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist in Sprinting and Silver Medalist in Bobsledding

"Each year, the commitments and partnerships that come out of CGI University prove that young people are not only up to the task of working towards a safer, more sustainable world, but that they are eager to get started now," said Chelsea Clinton. "Whether interested in starting a social venture to fight HIV/AIDS or increasing women's interest in STEM in remote areas of the world, students come to CGI U to turn their ideas into action."

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1jbm2rt

About The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)

The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), a program of the Clinton Global Initiative, brings together college students to address global challenges with practical, innovative solutions. CGI U participants do more than simply discuss problems - they take concrete steps to solve them by creating action plans, building relationships, participating in hands-on workshops, and following up with CGI U as they complete their projects. Since 2008, students have made more than 4,000 Commitments to Action. Previous CGI U meetings have taken place at Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, the University of California at San Diego, the George Washington University, and Washington University in St. Louis, and have convened more than 5,500 students from over 800 schools, 130 countries, and all 50 states.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(tm). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. Visit www.babson.edu

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SOURCE Babson College