Photo courtesy of bnstudios.
The International Changemaker Grant will send five teams of UNH students to a variety of international locations this summer, where the students will work in native communities and collaborate with organizations working on sustainability initiatives ranging from energy insecurity and community resilience to plastic waste and accessible sanitation at schools.
Students will be traveling to Senegal, Kenya, Cambodia and Uganda.
The International Changemaker Grant, a program of the UNH Sustainability Institute and a partnership with UNH global, is a unique immersive opportunity at UNH for interdisciplinary student teams to collaborate with international NGOs and social enterprises to create global sustainability solutions. The teams, mentored by UNH faculty and staff, will be “fostering long-term international collaborations for solutions while strengthening their own professional and problem-solving skills.”
"As a former recipient of the International Changemaker Grant back in 2015, I have personally witnessed the impact this experience can have both on students' careers and learning journeys, as well as on the international communities they partner with," says Zack Angelini ’14,’16G, who is coordinating the ICG for the Sustainability Institute. "In my current role at UNH, I'm so grateful to have come full circle and now help students to access and navigate these life changing experiences."
Student teams and partner organizations include:
TEAM: FULL BUCKET FOUNDATION - ADDRESSING ENERGY INSECURITY AND COMMUNITY SELF-RELIANCE
Partnering with Full Bucket Foundation, this team will collaborate to help design and implement a solar panel and drip irrigation system for a boarding school in Senegal, ultimately improving education, agricultural efficiency, food security, and community self-reliance.
UNH Faculty Mentor: Deni Hatch, lecturer, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
Student Team:
Jesus La Paz ’26, philosophy and justice studies
Syeda Khadija Haq ’26, economics
Pedro Doukas ’26, mechanical engineering
Jack McCann ’27, mechanical engineering
TEAM: KENYA CONNECT - MAREKTING MICRO-ENTERPRISES TO BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
Partnering with Kenya Connect, this team will collaborate to help develop a business and marketing plan for local hand-crafted goods whose profits cover school fees for children in the community, ultimately improving reliable access to education in rural Kenya.
UNH Faculty Mentor: Shuili Du, professor, marketing, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
Student Team:
Nicole Deneau ‘26, marketing
Aliana Carbone ‘25, business administration: management
Ava Graham ‘26, wildlife biology & conservation
Ella Kolber ‘25, business management
Will Oglesby ‘25, recreation management and policy
James Baiocchi ‘25, marketing
TEAM: KENYA CONNECT - DESIGNING ACCESSIBLE SANITATION FOR WAMUNYU SPECIAL SCHOOL
A second team will be collaborating with Kenya Connect to help design more accessible learning environments for students with disabilities to improve access to education in rural Kenya.
UNH Faculty Mentors: John Wilcox, clinical associate professor, occupational therapy, College of Health and Human Services; Amy VanCamp, clinical associate professor, oOccupational therapy, College of Health and Human Services
Student Team:
Livia Souza ‘26, occupational therapy
Maya Wingsted ’27, occupational therapy
Ella Johnsen ’27, occupational therapy
Sarah Potter ’27, occupational therapy
Max McKenney’25, mechanical engineering
Abigail Tobin ‘27, occupational therapy
Jenna McFadden ‘27, occupational therapy
TEAM: WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF CAMBODIA - PREVENTING DEFORESTATION AND IMPROVING FARMER LIVELIHOODS
This team will collaborate with Wildlife Conservation Society of Cambodia to map deforestation, reforestation, and habitat fragmentation in Keo Seima, an ecologically and culturally significant protected sanctuary to contribute to protecting the ecosystems, wildlife, and landscapes important to indigenous tribes within Keo Seima.
UNH Faculty Mentor: Benjamin Fraser, postdoctoral research associate, natural resources and the environment, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Student Team:
Alexandra Shore ’26, environmental science: ecosystems
Jaren Unzen ’26, computer science (algorithms) and international affairs
Hunter Moore ’25, natural resources and the environment
Maeve Kelley ’25, wildlife and conservation biology
TEAM: TAKATAKA PLASTICS - RECYCLED PLASTIC PRODUCT INNOVATIONS AND MARKETING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY RECYCLING EFFORTS
Students will be collaborating with Takataka Plastics to develop a business and marketing plan for current recycled plastic products and designing an engineering makerspace for new recycled plastic products, aiming to reduce plastic waste while building economic opportunities in Uganda.
UNH Faculty Mentor: Erin Hale, program director, sustainability dual major
Student Team:
Cara Begley ’27, biomedical science: medical microbiology
Ethan Keller ’27, accounting and finance
Erick Angwenyi '28, accounting
Pedro Doukas ’26, mechanical engineering
The International Changemaker Grant fund was established by the members of the Emeriti Council of the UNH Foundation Board thanks to the leadership of S. Melvin Rines ’47 and is supported in part by the Alnoba Lewis Family Global Service Initiative Fund.
