Motivated and inventive students from across campus are spending the spring semester as Accelerator Fellows to explore, test and scale up their ideas, projects and ventures while working with peers who are also tackling today’s grand challenges. Throughout the 8-week program, students spend time participating in 1:1 coaching sessions, working independently on their projects, and participating in developmental activities and programs that provide insights to valuable tools and resources such as workshops, panel discussions, and other community events that increase project development and impact. Fellows were selected after a competitive application process and will receive a stipend of $2,000 to support their work over the course of the program.
We are rolling right along with our 2024 Do Good Accelerator Spring Fellows cohort of 20! These students are incredibly dedicated to their social impact initiatives in hopes of improving the lives of individuals in a variety of communities, families in many countries and students of all ages. I am super excited to support such a passionate group this semester and honored to be able to witness their growth in initiating change!Kisha McNeill Do Good Accelerator Manager
The Do Good Institute is grateful to the Allstate Foundation for its support of the 2023-2024 Academic Year Accelerator Fellows programs. With Allstate Foundation's support, the Institute is able to provide even more Accelerator Fellows opportunities to students who are creating positive change in their communities today. The Allstate Foundation empowers youth ages 5 to 25 to serve and improve communities.
Meet the Spring 2024 Accelerator Fellows
Michelle Akem, Dialectable
Sophomore, Information Science and Biology
Dialectable is a language-learning app centered around conversation-based mini-games that introduce users to relevant and common conversation phrases in their dialect. The target audience is later-generation immigrants who have little to no experience with speaking their language of origin and want to study conversations to apply immediately to their real lives.
Sara Blau, Game Changers
Senior, Business Management Major
Game Changer's mission is to empower disadvantaged youth around the world by providing them the opportunity to become athletes. Game Changers facilitates connections between sports equipment donors and children’s sports programs globally through an online database.
Saurabh Chapagain, BetterU
Junior, Tech Entrepreneurship
BetterU is a social habit-tracking app that gamifies habit formation and helps people become the best version of themselves in a fun and social way. Its mission is to have a positive impact on the world by promoting healthy habits.
Jenna Dawson, Refugee Resettlement Success in the D.C. Metro Area
Senior, Government and Politics
Refugee Resettlement Success aims to eliminate major flaws within refugee resettlement, which stem from an overwhelmed system, by placing individual attention on families and their needs through mentoring, surveying and matching with resources based on real time needs and demographics collected within a database.
Emre Derin, Doctors Without Borders (DWB)
Junior, Physics
The Doctors Without Borders (DWB) Student Chapter at the University of Maryland (UMD) collaborates with medical institutions throughout the state of Maryland to enhance patient experiences by establishing multilingual volunteer initiatives. By addressing language barriers in healthcare, DWB at UMD seeks to take on borders that are less tangible and more relational.
Ezekiel Gunawan, Ascend Leadership
Sophomore, Finance and Information Systems
Ascend Leadership's mission is to empower API (Asian/Pacific Islander) and Pan-Asian business students by connecting them to real-world resources, networking channels and mentorship for career development. This project is targeted toward increasing Ascend's outreach among the University of Maryland to majors outside of the business space, such as computer science, information science, engineering, and more.
Gabrielle Hester, The Petal Project
Sophomore, Technology and Information Design, Immersive Media Design
The Petal Project is a student-run, seven-week-long series of social good events that aim to encourage interactive community dialogue and combat relationship abuse among young adults on the UMD campus.
Beteleham (Bety) Kahsay, People4Tigray
Junior, Psychology and Sociology
People4Tigray is a student-driven advocacy group whose mission is to aid the reconstruction of Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia, in the aftermath of the war. People4Tigray is dedicated to fostering meaningful dialogues surrounding contentious issues in Tigray, including but not limited to, the social and political conflicts exacerbated by the ongoing crisis in the region.
Isha Kamara, Breaking the Ice
Master’s candidate, Management
Breaking the Ice is an ecosystem development firm that bridges the gaps for small businesses and resource partners to promote economic mobility in all communities.
Jehnae Jasmine Linkins, Don’t Adjust your C.R.O.W.N.
Ph.D. Candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Don't Adjust your C.R.O.W.N. is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to empowering individuals of color to embrace their authentic selves and break free from societal stereotypes through free workshops promoting self-confidence, self-expression and self-pride. Join us in fostering a more inclusive society where everyone can confidently wear their crown.
Rashel Moscoso-Morales, Latinx Pre-Health Society
Senior, Public Health Science
The Latinx Pre-Health Society is an organization that aims to empower the next generation of Latinx healthcare professionals through integrity, diversity, community service and academic achievement. The organizations overarching goal is to create a supportive environment for the Latinx community to further the success of Latinx individuals in healthcare.
Mohammed Ndiaye, The Blood Pressure Screening Project
Senior, Neurobiology and Physiology Major
The Blood Pressure Screening Project is a student-led volunteer organization that provides free blood pressure screenings to communities in need.
Ijeoma Okoro, ORA USA Youth
Junior, Public Health
Orlu Regional Assembly (ORA) USA Youth is an Igbo Nigerian organization that supports the charitable, educational, economic, social and political development of the Orlu people. The organization aims to connect Igbo Nigerians in America and Igbo Nigerians in Nigeria to better the lives of those in Nigeria and to maintain Igbo culture throughout the world by creating and sourcing local community service opportunities.
Olabisi Omoniyi-Alake, FirstGen Ladder
Senior, Public Policy
First-generation students are less likely to have the same level of college readiness support from their families and/or communities as their peers, resulting in a lack of access to available resources. FirstGen Ladder fills the gap between resources available and eager first-generation students by providing them with access to mentorship, financial aid opportunities, college-readiness resources and a community of peers.
Autumn Perkey, Graduate Student Government (GSG)
Ph.D. candidate, Government and Politics
The GSG’s Dealing with Trauma Event is a one day event that aims to support and bring together members of UMD and the broader community to speak out about surviving trauma.
Srivishnu Piratla, Mission Uplink
Sophomore, Computer Science
Mission Uplink, a project of Tech for Good Inc., aims to bring inexpensive internet access to Malawi schools in under-connected areas.
Ali Raja, Science Competitions Advocating for Learning Equity (SCALE)
Senior, Public Health Science, minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Science Competitions Advocating for Learning Equity (SCALE) is a student-run organization at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a mission to promote STEM education in underserved Prince George’s County elementary schools.
Prisha Ramnath, develAPP
Sophomore, Bioengineering
develAPP was founded to provide technology education and app development opportunities for students aged 9-16, emphasizing inclusivity across diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses, with a specific focus on youth in underprivileged areas.
Evelyn Scott, Exchange Roots
Junior, Business Management and Agricultural & Resource Economics, minor in Sustainability
Exchange Roots is a digital farmer's market, designed to promote local food systems and allow small farmers and home gardeners to sell or exchange produce in their local community.
Leandra Williams, Black Girls 2
Junior, Public Policy and Sociology
Black Girls 2 is a student-run organization founded to create a space for discourse around the intersectionality between race and sexual violence toward Black women.