The Contribution Project is once again funding student ideas to make the world a better place. Of the 100 students selected for the 2023 awards, 17 are in Cornell Human Ecology. Their projects range from improving campus gathering spaces, to providing toiletries to homeless people in Ithaca, to encouraging teenagers to help make blankets for children in South Africa. 

Since it started in 2019, the Contribution Project has provided an opportunity for Cornell Human Ecology students to make a difference in the world in a way that is meaningful to them. Psychology professor Anthony Burrow started it through an Engaged Cornell grant, believing that the best way to engage students would be to directly support the ideas that they’re most passionate about.

“When you talk to the students about the nature of their contribution, you’ll see the range and diversity of ideas that exists in the students’ minds and hearts,” said Burrow, who is also director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. “They’re really making a difference.” 

Each year, 100 Cornell undergraduates are randomly selected from those who apply to receive $400 to use for their contributions. Hopelab, a social innovation lab and impact investor focused on empowering young people, provided the funding for the 2023 contributions. 

Nearly every college and school with undergraduate students had a student selected to contribute. Some of the CHE students are using the funding to contribute to causes on campus and in the Ithaca community, with others using the funds to spur entrepreneurial efforts. All the selected projects are on the Contribution Project website.

McKenzie Murray ’24 is using her $400 to create the first collection for her clothing line, Made By Mac. The line focuses on handmade, upcycled clothing that allows students who want to dress modestly feel fashionable and pieces that fit the person they’re made for.

“I wanted to make clothing that incorporated modern silhouettes and trends and really fit the person rather than the person fitting the clothes, which is an issue that many clothing lines have,” Murray said during an event honoring all the Contributors on April 27. “That leads to a lot of negative self-image issues, so I wanted to make clothing from scratch that fits the person and makes them feel happy and comfortable.”

Here are the other CHE students selected, along with their $400 contributions:

• Esther Akapo ’23: Fill bags with toiletries and snacks to distribute to homeless people in downtown Ithaca. 
• Ona Carranza ’23: Create a sustainable fashion brand, building upon the knowledge Carranza acquired at Cornell.
• Abby Cheng ’23: Give out flowers to people on campus to brighten their day.
• Vivian Chiang ’24: Create DIY crochet kits to encourage more teens to learn the craft and donate a project to Knit-a-Square, a charity that creates blankets for children in South Africa.
• Mindy Chin ’26: Create a sense of comfort by crocheting animals for students on campus and patients at Cayuga Medical Center.
• Nabeen Chu ’24: Fund transportation for student scribes who don’t have vehicles so they can get to and from Cayuga Medical Center.
• Mirely Garcia ’24: Purchase flowers and furniture to make the courtyard at the Latino Living Center more comfortable and inviting and create a sense of bonding by having residents take care of the plants together.
• Jasmine Guarin ’24: Provide cooking classes as part of the free nutrition education classes offered to immigrant families by clinics, hospitals and nutrition centers in Ocean County, NJ, to make the nutrition information more accessible.
• Emily Lebovitz ’25: Create a mental health curriculum for middle and high school students to encourage students to be proactive about getting mental health help when they need it.  
• Marley Levy ’24: Continue to distribute safe sex supplies and information around campus through a partnership with Planned Parenthood Generation Action.
• Amanda Ma ’23: Fund collaborative events for Cornell students covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to build community and connections and make their experience at Cornell more rewarding.
• Ana Mocklar ’26: Support Big Red Buddies at Cornell, through which students volunteer at Head Start centers in Ithaca and foster relationships with Head Start students.
• Grace Nahmiyas ’25: Support the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), which provides multicultural, educational and recreational programs for people of all ages.
• Marisa Radulescu ’23: Pass out candy to students studying in the library. 
• Daniel Rockett ’23: Install hammocks at the Veteran Program House to encourage the students who live there to take outdoor study breaks.
• Belinda Zhang ’24: Support Cameradery, a photography and community outreach organization that partners with local organizations working with people with cognitive and physical disabilities to design a portfolio of self-portraits and landscape photos which is displayed at an art show at the end of every semester.