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By Esther Odeyemi, Justice and Legal Thought College Park Scholar
This internship taught me the importance of amplifying students' voices to demand change.
This semester, I was granted the opportunity to intern at MaryPIRG. This organization strives to create a better and sustainable future for all by providing training and resources to address climate change, feed the hungry, protect the public health of students, and strengthen our democracy. This internship taught me the importance of amplifying students' voices to demand change. Our supervisor would always stress the need to recruit more students as volunteers, educate them on the confronting issues, and spread awareness. She expressed how our generation is equipped with the tools and resources necessary to change the world. Initially, I didn't think much of it until I witnessed some of the accomplishments we had this semester. We were able to gain support from our bill sponsor, Delegate Jared Solomon to host a rally for the “Future Act”, which is a bill written by students in MaryPIRG to ensure a greener future. Although the act did not pass, it had laid the groundwork for improvement. Recently, we’ve received an announcement from President Pines which declared the acceleration of the “Climate Action Plan.” This plan will push the University of Maryland to become a Net-Zero Carbon Neutral Campus by 2025. In addition to this, the support from the Zero Hunger Campaign, SwipeoutHunger, and other UMD leaders led to the passing of the Hunger-Free Campus Bill, which sends funding to public colleges that are addressing student hunger on campus. As a result of these victories, I can see how having a strong, unified voice led to making goals a reality.
I decided to take a closer look at this poster because I was interested in ways I could advocate for equality and diversity at my UMD myself. I was completely unaware of how serious a problem food insecurity was amongst college students. I think it was cool that we were able to take a leadership role in the organization when it comes to recruiting new volunteers and coordinating events.
Hi Esther,
I was drawn to your poster because you talk about social justice through student activism. Sometimes, it's hard to want to advocate for certain issues especially when oneself alone isn't going to accomplish much change. I didn't know that MaryPIRG was involved with so many different aspects of social justice but I think it's amazing that you were able to get involved with two different issues (the food insecurity and textbook prices). I also think it's great that you were able to determine what type of law you'd like to pursue in the future through this internship.
Hi Esther! I was drawn to your poster because of its relevance to social justice and activism, many of the topics we discuss as it pertains to law in JLT classes. I learned that activism requires a lot of planning and many people to produce actual results and changes. How will you implement this into your future career?
Hi Esther! Your poster caught my eye because of the title and the fact that I interned with the same organization this past semester. It was interesting to learn the gravity of the situation on students not being able to afford textbooks for classes that require them. I was wondering what was the most memorable part fo this internship for you?
Hi Esther,
I was drawn to your presentation because of your different title form the other internship projects. I learned that many students in the UMD community struggle with food insecurity. What was your favorite activity you did in your internship?