Five Wichita State students recently returned from Florida where they took part in the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) meeting. More than 1,000 students representing 300 schools and 75 countries came together for the event, which was hosted by President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

The purpose of the weekend – which also included a host of celebrity activists – was to discuss the students’ commitments to action for measurable plans to address challenges facing campuses and communities worldwide.

WSU social work graduate student Sein Lengeju presented her project, “Keep Girls Safe,” which seeks to eradicate female genital mutilation. Lengeju met privately with Chelsea Clinton and had several discussions with Bill Clinton about her work. 

Barton Scholar Kiah Duggins won a much-sought-after position as Resolution Fellow for her “Princess Project,” which encourages African-American and Hispanic girls to pursue higher education through mentorship. The fellowship will provide start-up funding, networking and resources for the project.

Nicole Freund, Jessica Drum and Refika Sarionder – graduate students in community psychology – showcased their project, “Students Collaborating for Culture Change on Campus: A Community-Based Approach to Sexual Assault Prevention.” It was selected for an interview with Laureate International University students and then broadcast to 50,000 students in nearly 30 countries.

The project uses community psychology principles such as collaboration and empowerment with the aim at preventing sexual assault on WSU’s campus.

For more information on CGIU, go to http://www.cgiu.org/.