This is the 11th year MRun has organized the Race Across Michigan (RAM), a 24 hour relay race across the state, which fundraises for Special Olympics. Last year our team raised $28,000 for the Special Olympics of Washtenaw County and this year our goal is to raise $30,000. Along with RAM, MRun participated in Natural Area Preserve cleanup days in which they volunteer to conserve many of the natural areas in Ann Arbor that are valued for their running accessibility. They participated in My Team Triumph, in which they paired up with a community member with physical disabilities and enable them to participate in a local 5k race with a club member. Lastly, they made and donated blankets to Mott Children’s Hospital.

Club softball has moved mountains over the last two years. Last year, the team became ranked 11th in the country in club softball. This year they have won the overall triple headers for every game day except 1 and are on the track to make an appearance at nationals, once again. The club has had a significant increase of donors this past year with Giving Blue Day. They have increased their number of donors by over 300% compared to last year and they expect to grow that number even more in the future. The softball club also has created visibility in the community by participating in the the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Walk to End Alzheimer’s back in September.

Yazmon Ektor and Stefan Savoy worked with Stamps lecturer Andrea Cardinal on developing the MLK Symposium Wordmark, commissioned by the Office of Multicultural initiatives, for the 2019 MLK Symposium. As described by Ms. Cardinal, the mark is intended “to represent Dr. King’s enduring message, depicting the solemnity of the pillars of his mission, but with detached elements to symbolize the connections that are still to be made, the progress that is yet to be won. The mark is designed to have implied symmetry, signifying balance and equality.. [and] is aligned with the visual presence of the current Black Lives Matter movement.”

Sofia is a natural born leader, and an extraordinary talent. Sofia plays the main character in the show, “Streaming Now,” about a struggling musician looking to find her place in the world. In addition to her work in front of the camera, Sofia served as co-showrunner and writer on the TV pilot “Quetzal Verde.” She guided each aspect of the production, including writing, casting and design. When the production was over, she was offered the position of director for FTVM 423, the highest level production class in the film department. Since transferring to Michigan from a local community college two years ago, Sofia has accomplished so much with the kind of character, humbleness, and humor that makes many of her fellow artists want to work with her.

Charlene interned in Colombia last summer, and used her business education to help small business owners improve accounting practices. While sharing her knowledge, she prioritized cultural understanding, learning from the entrepreneurs as much as they learned from her, and empowering them to make sustainable changes so they could continue to thrive once she left. Furthermore, amongst students seeking to make a positive impact on the global community, Charlene identified the problem of voluntourism. To mitigate this, Charlene arranged for a renowned educator of positive global engagement to visit campus and speak to a group of students, enabling 20+ students to think more critically about their own global impact.

Rebekah took on an ambitious project to find a way for Adventure Leadership to be more inclusive to those with physical disabilities. Outdoor recreation can be difficult for those with physical disabilities to engage with, but Rebekah found ways for facilitators to be more inclusive. Not only did Rebekah introduce the whole team to new activities they could lead for groups, but she also found effective ways to modify current activities to be more inclusive. After doing this research, Rebekah lead a training and created a guide as a resource for the team to have at the forefront of their mind.