Emory University Campus News: Innovation Inspiration: The Hatchery's Micro-Grant Success Stories

Press release from Emory University Campus News:

Aug. 10, 2021

Thirteen students spent their summer working to address complex social issues as the latest group of Inspiration Micro-Grant recipients sponsored by The Hatchery, Center for Innovation at Emory University.

With $400 in seed money each, the benefit of one-on-one coaching and a state-of-the-art innovation center at their disposal, the students pursued their passion projects on topics ranging from human trafficking and health care inequality to sustainability.

“Although it is barely a year old, the Inspiration Micro-Grant is a strategic and popular program from The Hatchery that has already fueled a variety of great student success stories,” says Shannon Clute, director of The Hatchery.

These successes include Emory’s Break Free From Plastic Pledge signed June 15 by university president Gregory L. Fenves. It started as the passion project of micro-grant recipients Nithya Narayanaswamy and C.J. O’ Brien. Their goal? To tackle the issue at its source by reducing the amount of unnecessary single-use plastic consumed at Emory and building a culture of reuse and sustainability.

“The Hatchery helped us realize our vision of passing a ‘Break Free from Plastic’ pledge on campus,” says O’ Brien, who earned her master’s in development practice (MDP) in May. “They were always available to brainstorm ideas, provide resources and push us to think more creatively at every stage of the campaign.”

“They really helped us transform ideas into action, and effect real change on campus,” adds Narayanaswamy, a class of 2023 biology and philosophy major.

Another success story from the micro-grant program is the Art for Heart nonprofit organization founded by grantee Yifei Gao, a rising junior majoring in economics, linguistics and psychology. Art for Heart combines artistic expression with activism and is dedicated to raising awareness — and funds — for a variety of political and social issues, including erasing inequality in access to the arts. Recently, the organization raised funds to provide 85 art kits for underprivileged high schoolers and hired local artists to teach art workshops.

“The Hatchery is an indispensable resource for students who are tired of waiting and ready to make something happen,” Gao says. Through her work, she hopes to build a community of what she calls “artivists.”

Activism and creativity are also at the heart of AltKey, a sustainable fashion organization dedicated to helping young designers break into the fashion industry and conscious consumers to make more informed purchases. Emily Kim, a rising junior on the pre-med track at Emory, launched AltKey with friends.

What is sustainable fashion? It is shoes, accessories and clothing that are manufactured in the most-sustainable manner possible, in socio-economic and environmental aspects. It also includes secondhand, or so-called “gently used,” clothing.

AltKey hosted a “Go Thrift!” campaign, encouraging students to shop at thrift stores and submit their ensembles to be featured in its sustainable fashion show, Concrete Jungle. The virtual fashion show was held via Zoom and included a slate of guest speakers and panelists from the sustainable fashion industry.

"The micro-grant program allowed us to kickstart altKEY,” says Kaitlin Zhang, a class of 2023 student double majoring in economics and math at the Goizueta Business School. “Not only were we given financial resources, but we were also coached on how to best leverage our message to inform our audience through repeated experimentation.”

Furthering future innovations

Clute is inspired by the diversity of projects the grant program has birthed.

“Working with Emory student innovators is an endless source of inspiration,” Clute says. “They pursue such different areas of study in the nine undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, but they seem to share a passion for solving big problems in a way that drives positive social impact. In a relatively short time frame, we’ve supported student innovators exploring equitability in business modeling, race and media, environmentalism, micro transportation, women’s health, the intersection of feminism and spirituality, and so much more. The projects are as diverse and impactful as Emory itself.”

Some of the most recent projects include:

• Micro-grant recipient Rachel Harmon, who is pursuing a PhD in political science, is working with nonprofit Free For Life International to establish a scholarship fund specifically for LGBTQ+ survivors of human trafficking. The fund aims to provide financial assistance as well as mentorship and advising opportunities.
• Akash Shanmugam, who is studying neuroscience and behavioral biology, quantitative science, founded Vejovis Analytics, a nonprofit that is “empowering community health centers in Georgia by transforming patient care with a data-driven approach,” according to its website. The goal is to use data science to promote clinical health equity in underserved Georgia communities.
• Kierra Grayson, who is studying global health at Rollins School of Public Health, is building a recording studio/healing space for Black creatives and musicians, addressing a need for accessible and affordable mental health services and communal creative spaces in the Black community.

“This cohort of Inspiration Micro-Grant recipients is impressive for their creativity and willingness to tackle really complex problems, such as mental health and culturally-relevant education,” says Ben Garrett, innovation programming and operations manager at The Hatchery. “The beauty of this program is that we don’t determine what sorts of problems need to be solved. We ask the students how they want to make the world a better place, and then provide them with a little funding and coaching to get them started on their innovator’s journey toward a solution.”

A new cohort of students will be selected to participate in the program during fall semester; the application will be available in early September. For the latest information, subscribe to The Hatchery’s newsletter or learn more at The Hatchery’s SharePoint page.

This press release was produced by Emory University Campus News. The views expressed here are the author’s own.