15 Incredible Teams Selected as 2023 Do Good Challenge Semi-Finalists

The Do Good Institute is excited to announce the selection of the 2023 Do Good Challenge semi-finalists. These student-led teams will compete for the opportunity to advance to the Do Good Challenge Finals where they will present in front of a panel of expert judges and an audience of hundreds and vie for a share of more than $20,000 in prizes!

A total of 15 teams were selected to advance as semi-finalists, from an impressive group of student teams creating change from across campus. Of the 15 teams, five are returning Challenge competitors and three have participated in the Do Good Accelerator Fellows program. This year's semi-finalist teams are tackling various social issues from education on inhaler use and providing support for families affected by cancer to promoting sustainable agriculture practices and preventing sexual violence.

This year’s semi-finals will be taking place on Tuesday, April 4 at the Do Good Accelerator. Our 2023 Semi-Finalist judges include social impact and innovation experts from across University of Maryland’s campus including: Lottie Byram (Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship), Ebonie Cooper-Jean (School of Public Policy), Peter Mallios (Honors College), Alla McCoy (UM Ventures), Sammy Popat (Office of Innovation and Economic Development), Kamrie Risku (Leadership & Community Service-Learning), Korey Rothman (CIVICUS) and Mona Thompson (Teaching and Learning Transformation Center).  

Meet the 2023 Do Good Challenge Semi-Finalist Teams

Project Semi-Finalists

Dare to Dream (DTD) is a nonprofit organization that empowers marginalized communities to chase their dreams unapologetically through entrepreneurship. DTD’s mission is to build a robust youth entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing mentorship, resources and education to young people in underserved communities. Their programs range from mentorship and internships to workshops, courses and creative events that allow young people to start businesses and create jobs in their communities. Their team of 20 students has developed an eight-week entrepreneurial development curriculum, for which they have two contracts pending for an after-school program with high school students. They have also successfully held events for more than 150 students to uplift and support the black community of creatives and entrepreneurs at the University of Maryland. 

• Takiyah Roberts, Letters and Sciences; College Park Scholars (Science, Technology and Society)
• Abby Oseguera, A. James Clark School of Engineering

Kesem at University of Maryland is one of more than 130 student-led chapters across the nation that serves families impacted by cancer. Kesem at UMD provides year-long support including care packages, monthly calls and more to children ages 6-18 in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. Their flagship program is a free week-long summer camp meant to bring kids of similar circumstances together. This past summer, Kesem hosted a record-breaking 62 campers and through community partnerships were able to bring 45 counselors to camp as well. On Giving Tuesday, they raised more than $50,000, which will allow them to serve even more children and families in the future. Their 250+ student volunteers have dedicated an estimated 70,000 service hours to the cause. 

• Jack Yang, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
• Nick Johnson, A. James Clark School of Engineering

Latina Pathways is a student-run nonprofit organization that advocates, educates and fundraises to provide pathways and access to higher education and community development for Latina immigrants. The organization partners with Circle de Luz, a North Carolina-based nonprofit, to run their Pen Gals program, a college and career preparedness mentorship program matching Latina middle/high school students to Latina college students. In its first year, the program resulted in the creation of 24 different mentoring pairs that regularly exchange encouraging letters and support. Since their founding, Latina Pathways has raised more than $9,000 dollars and served 430 Latinx students and family members. In the past year, Latina Pathways officially obtained 501(c)(3) status, becoming a registered nonprofit organization.

• Emily Eason, Masters of Public Policy Candidate, School of Public Policy
• Yedida Bentolila, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Preventing Sexual Assault (PSA) is the only student organization on campus dedicated solely to protecting and uplifting survivors, as well as acting as the voice for students in all matters related to Title IX and power-based violence. The group conducts education and prevention programs to create safe spaces for survivors and facilitate conversations with UMD  Administration. PSA sits on the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee and Title IX Advisory Board and works toward the prevention of sexual assault on campus by combating rape culture and advocating for policies that address sexual assault. The organization raises awareness and funds through events such as the Occupy McKeldin 12-hour sit-in, fundraisers at College Park restaurants, and a "Slut Walk" to end victim-blaming, with the most recent “Slut Walk” garnering more than 150 students protesting. In 2019, PSA’s Occupy McKeldin event received a showing of more than 1,000 attendees, and their organization has grown from seven initial members to more than 90 in their eight year existence. 

• Anna Gerstein, School of Public Policy
• Damiana Colley, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Kristina Diaz, School of Public Health

Science Competitions Advocating for Learning Equity (SCALE) is an elementary school outreach program that partners with local Prince George's County public elementary schools to provide a means of establishing strategic intervention in underserved classrooms with the goal of fostering meaningful, unique and hands-on science competitions between students who are typically under-represented in STEM and higher education. Equipped with toothpicks, popsicle sticks, foam balls and paint, kids compete to build things like solar system models and roller coaster prototypes all while experiencing a positive learning environment that fosters creativity and fun. Since forming in fall 2022, SCALE has worked with more than 200 second and fifth grade students from two local elementary schools and has raised more than $5,000 to support their monthly science competitions. With almost 60 percent of SCALE’s volunteer-core identifying as women and close to 20 percent identifying as Black or Latino, they are hopeful that their presence in the classroom will inspire more students to get involved with STEM. 

• Gourinandan (Nandu) Saravanan, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences; School of Public Health
• Olivia Anderson, A. James Clark School of Engineering; College Park Scholars (Life Sciences) 

The 2nd LT Richard W. Collins III Foundation was founded by the parents of Richard Collins, who was stabbed to death on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park, on May 20, 2017. The Foundation was established with two purposes in mind: defeat the intolerance and fear that robbed the Collins family of their beloved son and promote scholarship and mentoring to ensure the success of young people of color. The Foundation successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly for the enactment of the 2nd LT Richard W. Collins III Hate Crime Law in Maryland. This legislation provides $1 million in annual scholarships for students and since 2018, more than 200 Maryland HBCU students have received scholarship funding.

• Dawn Collins, Nonprofit Management and Leadership Graduate Certificate Candidate, School of Public Policy

The Ukrainian Student Association (UASA) at the University of Maryland strives to facilitate a supportive community for students of Ukrainian descent and to promote Ukraine’s culture within the University of Maryland community. UASA educates the community on Ukrainian history, language and culture, while supporting people affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Currently, UASA consists of 91 members, ranging from graduate and undergraduate students to staff and faculty. They have successfully raised more than $1,200 dollars for humanitarian aid and the purchase of new ambulances in Ukraine. For the past year, UASA has participated in dozens of rallies and protests in Washington D.C., organized multiple awareness-raising and fundraising events such as the Ukrainian movie screening event, a blue & yellow ribbon-making event, and a medical equipment and humanitarian aid packing event. Their candlelight vigil on McKeldin Mall was attended by more than 100 community members, including deans and the University of Maryland provost and vice president. 

• Ksenia Mezhenny, School of Music
• Tetiana Tytko, Masters of Arts Candidate, College of Arts and Humanities

Terrapin Think Tank (TTT) is the first student-led policy incubator at the University of Maryland. For the past year and a half, TTT has been developing and advocating for community-centered policy solutions to significant health challenges in Prince George’s County. By taking advantage of the wealth of academic research housed at the University of Maryland, TTT has been able to advise the Prince George’s County Health Department on several key issues, including ways to connect residence in under resourced parts of the county with accessible health centers through public transportation and developing a curriculum on the principles of health equity for the Healthcare Action Coalition.

• Isha Yardi, School of Public Health; Honors College (Gemstone)
• Daniel Fong, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences; Individual Studies Program; Honors College (Integrated Life Sciences) 

Venture Semi-Finalists

inhale.AI is a mobile app that provides personalized inhaler education to help people use their inhalers correctly. Studies have shown that up to 84 percent of people use their inhalers incorrectly, which is a particular problem for marginalized communities, exacerbating existing health-economic disparities. The organization aims to help everyone breathe with ease by providing a unique troubleshooting and active instruction design that is currently not available in any other app in the market. The inhale.AI app uses machine learning to track common mistakes, offers personalized instructions and allows medical providers to scan the app to provide immediate assistance. The app also features universal language and audio support. Their team surveyed more than 60 medical providers to inform their app development and the organization currently has four hospitals interested in piloting the app along with two high schools looking to share the final app version with students through school nurses who manage students with asthma and COPD. 

• Saad Pirzada, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences

Kestrel Finance is building a digital platform designed specifically for agricultural lending and investment. The software brings remote sensing and machine learning to a web-based platform, allowing users to simulate climate events, manage portfolio-level risk and supplement their due-diligence practices all in one place. Smallholder farms, typically family farms that operate on less than five acres, produce one-third of the world’s food, yet financial institutions lack the data to assess risk for this demographic – only three percent of industry demand for financing is met. Kestrel makes agricultural investing transparent, with their lending platform enabling financers to make data-driven decisions in the most promising new markets. Through a partnership with 2021 Challenge winner Roots Africa, Kestrel has been able to access a network of more than 190 farmers, commanding more than 390 acres of farmland. Additionally, Kestrel has been accepted into the Mokhtarzada Hatchery (tech accelerator program), allowing them to raise $10,000. 

• Kamal Narra, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
• Pranev Ramesh, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Robert H. Smith School of Business

Repurpose Farm Plastic LLC is designing a small-scale cleaning technology specifically for plastics used in agriculture. Plastic films and tubing are essential for farming, but at the end of the season, most of these materials end up in landfills, burnt in the field or buried in the soil. Repurpose Farm Plastic LLC is creating a process to collect and clean agricultural plastic waste at UMD farms and beyond. Repurpose Farm Plastic took first prize in the UMD 2020 AgEnterprise Challenge and has been accepted into the National Science Foundation I-Corp Program, the Mokhtarzada Hatchery (tech accelerator program), and received an $18,000 Sustainability Grant to continue to develop their machine that aims to help recycle some of the 1,600 tons of plastic waste produced by Maryland farmers each year. 

• Krisztina Christmon, Ph.D. Entomology, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Sustainabli is a startup that creates B2B sustainability solutions for research labs, focusing on cost-effective fume hood management tools to reduce energy waste and carbon emissions. After completing a year-long pilot with 28 fume hoods in the chemistry department at University of Maryland, the startup saved the university nearly $15,000, with 89 percent of the scientists reporting they felt that the technology was nondisruptive to their work, and 95 percent reporting they would recommend the tech to other scientists. Sustainable is working with university administration on potential plans to expand their tech to the rest of the UMD campus and MOUs from other interested universities. This expansion could potentially reduce the University of Maryland's annual carbon footprint by more than 1,000 metric tons, translating to a 1,500 MWh reduction in energy waste and nearly $100,000 in savings annually. The group has raised  about $10,000 in non-dilutive grants and participated in 3 Accelerator programs, including NSF I-CORPS.

• Kevin Tu, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences; Honors College (University Honors); and 2021 Do Good Challenge winner

Victuals is a nutrition-focused organization that provides user-centered tracking, training and management interventions to support maternal and child health during and after pregnancy. The organization's primary target is the first 1,000 days of pregnancy, and they aim to ensure the right nutrition is delivered with the correct potency and quality at the right time. Victuals has several products in development, with their first product being a breast milk banking software, being deployed in India at three hospitals with 500+ beds, to provide more babies with access to human milk. Since their establishment in February, Victuals has generated more than $6,000 in sales.

• Sourabh Mane, Masters of Science Candidate, College of Information Studies

WISE Cities, LLC is a female-run startup focused on designing accessible technology to address the issue of social isolation among the elderly. The company's first app allows seniors to form local groups and gives community centers and local businesses the opportunity to connect with this typically hard-to-reach audience. Through the Smart City Challenge, WISE Cities was selected for a pilot opportunity with the City of Fairfax that provides them direct access to a community interested in their service for the benefit of their senior population and local businesses. They have received close to $20,000 in grants, credits and resources through the Dorm Room Fund, AWS Activate, Google Cloud and more. The product has been featured on MSN and Patch and has gained support from National Village to Village Network as well as individuals connected through AARP.

• Katherine-Aria Close, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; College of Arts and Humanities; Honors College (Design Cultures and Creativity) 
• Marie Brodsky, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, 

Yool is a conversational virtual influencer that uses AI technology to establish genuine connections with individuals across various social media platforms. Yool is designed to be inclusive and devoid of any inherent discriminatory characteristics in its AI response system. Yool has successfully created and tested advanced software and machine learning models that enable prominent social media platforms to employ their realistic conversational AI.

• Thomas Noh, College of Arts and Humanities