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Christopher Gu
Computer Science, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Christopher Gu is co-founder of PickHacks and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Spectrum (a campus organization for LGBTQ students and allies) and the Miner Key A Cappella group. He also participates as a Computer Science Ambassador, meeting with prospective students and their families to promote Missouri S&T. When it comes to his public service experiences, Gu says, “Through my experiences of civic leadership from the past couple of years, I’ve gone through many tough situations, gained a bunch of soft skills and created a network of students, faculty and professionals.” Christopher seeks to become an entrepreneur after graduation so that he can continue to promote diversity and inclusion as he gives back to the community.

Samantha N. Hays
Biology, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Samantha Hays has held many leadership positions during her time at UMKC, including work as an Academic Assistant and Residential Assistant for the Honors College and Residential Life for more than three years, where she has helped freshmen and international students transition to college. Hays has also supported the most "at-risk" students through her work as a VISTA intern for the Summer Bridge program, and she previously mentored students in the First Gen Roo pilot program. As part of the pilot program, Hays represented her own first-generation status and supported incoming "first gens" through meaningful programming with Financial Aid and Career Services. When asked about her commitment to civic leadership, Samantha says, “Though the goal of civic leadership is to provide resources to others, in none of my actions have I ever felt afterwards that it did not improve my own life and well-being to some degree.” Off campus, Samantha has served as a hospital volunteer and research volunteer to improve care for pediatric patients. She plans to continue serving the UMKC  Residential Life community as an Assistant Residential Life Coordinator as she completes her master's degree, and eventually hopes to earn her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine with the support of the Health Professionals Scholarship Program through the U.S. Army.

Duong Hoang
Physics, University of Missouri-Kansas City

As the marketing chair of UMKC’s Vietnamese Student Association, Duong Hoang is responsible for promoting events through social media marketing campaigns and other forms of communication. This position allows her to collaborate and fuse her leadership skills with her creativity, and to increase the visibility of Vietnamese culture while also giving back to the community. She is particularly proud of two events: an organizational event called, “Di De Tro Ve” (which means “Going to Returns”); and a five-month campaign to raise money to help Vietnamese children facing poverty attend school. “Di De Tro Ve” successfully helped create solidarity among other Vietnamese students studying abroad. With support from students on campus and the Vietnamese community in Kansas City, the campaign raised nearly $1,000 from selling T-shirts and souvenirs at the Tet Celebration. Hoang is committed to creating a diverse culture at UMKC where students can share their experiences, have cultural perspectives and learn from each other. She says, “Civic leadership is the acknowledgment of the privileges that I have, combined with my skills, values and enthusiasm to advocate for equal rights and improve the quality of life in my community.” Hoang plans to earn her doctorate in physics and then enter a career in higher education, where she will continue to support underprivileged children and represent Asian women in STEM.

Ryan Janikowski
Marketing and Marketing Analysis with a Graduate Certificate, University of Missouri-Columbia

Ryan Janikowski has volunteered in several positions during his time at Mizzou. He worked with Grade A to help children improve academically without the cost of a tutor and with Boone County Family Resources as an Activities Coordinator. He has also participated in numerous Feed My Starving Children outings. In addition, Janikowski assisted those fighting opioid addiction in and around Butler County. In his most recent service project with the Butler County Opioid Prevention Movement, he designed an after-school program to combat teen opioid addiction, determined the best way to reach addicts for treatment and collaborated with community leaders to strengthen current prevention efforts. Janikowski finds value in the impact his work makes: “I volunteer my time, effort and knowledge in various ways to be a driving force in the push for social change and the improvement of the quality of life for everyone in my community.” After graduation, Janikowski  plans to continue striving for social justice and enriching the lives of others.

James Kim, Jr.
Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics, University of Missouri-Columbia

James Kim, Jr. organized TEDxMU, a sanctioned university program housed under the Office of Student Engagement. TEDx brings in speakers who are passionate about TED and asks them to engage with the community on a variety of “ideas worth spreading.” As a pre-med student, Kim aspires to serve people directly by practicing medicine, but also serve in the greater sense by providing the public and lawmakers solutions to issues within U.S. health care. Regarding his commitment to civic leadership, James says, “I think that civic leadership begins when a leader is led by ulterior motives of serving a community. I don’t believe titles are associated with being a civic leader because even a lone individual can impact a community positively; simply taking action that others are not doing makes the individual a leader.” Kim aspires to work in an academic hospital and to remain engaged with national conversations surrounding health care issues.

Connor Lovelace
Vocal Music Education and Business Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia

Connor Lovelace is the founder of the MU student organization Canticum Novum, an undergraduate chamber choir that gives back to the community through music. Canticum Novum became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and raises money through music to support various charitable organizations. As the organization’s president and music director, Lovelace organizes rehearsals, retreats, performances, community outreach and events, as well as the cashflows, schedules and other student members. In addition to this work, he is the founder of an organization that supports the career growth of developing musicians. Lovelace  believes civic leadership is about being dedicated to helping others throughout the community in any way possible: “I believe that anyone can be a civic leader. Each person in a community is gifted with skills that allow them to educate and help others.” After graduation, Lovelace  hopes to start nonprofit organizations throughout the county focused on educating people in classical music.

Katlyn Maas
Business and Management Systems, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Katlyn Maas is an active leader in Missouri S&T’s volunteerism programs, whether it be the alternative break program Miner Challenge; the Volunteerism and Greek Life Days of Service program; or taking a group of friends to the local thrift store to help organize clothing. She aims to lead by example and by engagement. As a senior member of Lambda Sigma Pi, a service-based fraternity on campus, Maas averages about 50 community service hours per semester. As part of the Volunteerism and Greek Life Days of Service program, she has participated in several community volunteer events. As part of Miner Challenge, she led a team of students to Charleston, West Virginia, in the spring of 2019 to assist with after-school programs. “To me,” says Maas, “civic leadership is using my knowledge and applying it towards making people aware of the injustices around us.” Maas will graduate with her MBA in December 2021, and she plans to pursue work in the nonprofit arena. She dreams of starting her own nonprofit organization one day, with a focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education in rural schools.

Dominique Sanchez
Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City

As a registered lobbyist in the Missouri state legislature for The Associated Students of the University of Missouri (ASUM), Dominique Sanchez worked on a variety of student issues – from creating more STEM scholarships to advocating for and against policies that affect students. Sanchez’s exposure to state government led her to pursue a leadership role with ASUM. Currently, she serves as the chapter president at UMKC, a position she sees as an opportunity to impact students through increased civic engagement and participation in the political process. Sanchez says, “Civic leadership is accomplished through fostering other individuals to become civic leaders themselves, and my advocacy at the state government level and my leadership role in my organization puts me in a unique position to affect change.” Sanchez is passionate about increasing access to care and health equity for ethnic minority populations. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in law and public policy, with her ultimate goal to work for a nonprofit organization.

Teresa Schneider
Ceramic Engineering, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Teresa Schneider’s comprehensive involvement includes participation in the Residential Hall Association, holding the role of Campus Facilities Chair in the Student Council and participting in Greek Life. As part of Keramos, a professional Ceramic Engineering Fraternity, she designed and executed a demonstration to young students on fiberglass manufacturing that involves cotton candy machines. This demonstration was given at local schools, science camps and even the St. Louis Science Center. While serving on the Student Council,  Schneider successfully petitioned the Student Union Board to provide closed captioning on movies displayed on-campus, as well as to offer accommodations for dietary restrictions and audio-visual impairments. When it comes to her philosophy on civic leadership, Schneider says, “Civic leadership is all about focusing on the community you serve. It is also about remembering that the best leaders are servants first.” She plans to remain active as an alum, including as an adviser to her Zeta Tau Alpha chapter and its philanthropy, Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Eventually, Schneider wants to work in a management role and use her minor in Leadership Communications to make a difference.

Catherine Wilkins
Political Science, University of Missouri-Columbia

Catherine Wilkins helped develop a new service opportunity for students to see democratic entities in action. With the support of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, Wilkins organized a volunteer opportunity in libraries across the St. Louis area for 10 undergraduates to learn how public educational resources are essential to society. She hopes to transform these trips into annual events and expand opportunities to include other projects such as local volunteering and voter registration. Wilkins is also captain of the Mizzou Mock Trial Association, which she has grown three-fold during her tenure – from five members to 15. Elsewhere on campus and around the Columbia community, Wilkins has been part of the Proud Tigers Mentorship Program and served first-generation Americans seeking to be first-generation college students as an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) mentor at Battle High School. She currently works at JobPoint helping people find and keep employment. Wilkins says, “My philosophy is to always be a servant-leader. This means…to offer yourself fully to a cause and do whatever it requires of you, even if a task is ‘small’ or unappealing.” Wilkins intends to pursue a law degree and work in the field of public interest law with a focus on criminal justice and election reform.

Suzanne Young
Economics, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Suzanne Young’s work includes undergraduate research with Dr. Robert Schwartz, where she helps study the challenges facing Missouri’s rural communities, including disparities in health care, a shrinking workforce, internet access, drug addiction and aging populations. Over the course of two years, Young collected data on these issues as well as met with community leaders, rural entrepreneurs and engagement network specialists. This information helped her recommend entrepreneurship projects and solutions to stimulate business development in these communities. In addition, Young acted as an ASUM intern and worked with her peers to promote student interests in Jefferson City. To Young, “Civic leadership means taking time to help people regardless of how you feel about the issues they care about. It means setting aside your personal views in order to make the world better for your neighbors.” After graduation, Young plans to canvas for candidates who are passionate about helping others, to join civil action groups that work to improve lives and to eventually run for political office.

Li Zhang
Education-Middle School Science Education, University of Missouri-Columbia

As a programming chair for the Mizzou Asian American Association, Li Zhang has helped plan large events for the Mizzou community such as Taste of Asia. Taste of Asia is an annual event during which various Asian cultures are showcased through food and activities. Zhang’s responsibilities include allocating human resources, coordinating catering from off-campus vendors, managing budgets and facilitating sponsorships by coordinating with local businesses. On a broader scale, Zhang works to bring Asian cultural awareness to the entire Mizzou community. When it comes to how he defines civic leadership, Zhang says, “It’s taking on responsibilities in order to enrich and enhance the lives of those around you…It is right that everyone is taken care of before I am taken care of.” Zhang plans to become a middle school teacher and use the community building practices he has gained through his leadership role to impact the classroom.