Twenty-five students from Pace University have been selected for the highly competitive United Nations Academic Impact-Millenium Fellowship.
The program received more than 52,000 applications from students at 6,000 colleges and universities in 48 nations. Just 5% of those applicants were selected.
During the fall semester, the Fellows work individually or in small groups to assist with implementation of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through social impact projects relating to peace, justice, wellbeing and sustainability. UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the SDG “a universal, integrated and transformative vision for a better world.”
Students who apply submit a proposal for a project they would like to launch on their campuses or in their communities. The Pace Fellows will be working on projects that include: the right to know what is in one’s drinking water, viewing the Ukrainian war through children’s eyes, reducing the carbon footprint of students in the residence halls, reproductive justice, addressing food insecurity for college students, and advancing human rights for refugees. Fellows will also connect with students around the world and attend enrichment sessions led by their peers and global leaders.
Seven of the 25 students are members of the University’s Blue CoLab, which is a group of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to advancing the right-to-know around the world what is in the water we drink. The Blue CoLab is committed to a three-step action plan that includes: petitioning the U.N. to add right-to-know water quality to SDG Goal 6; proposing an amendment to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act spurring the technological innovations that will guarantee the public’s right-to-know water quality; and developing a campus information system that will deliver timely information to the Pace community about their drinking water quality.
Isabella Coraci, a Fellow and information systems major at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems from Staten Island, N.Y. reflected on why advocating for safe drinking water is important to her.
The Fellowship’s mission of developing leadership skills in undergraduate students who are interested in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals coincides with the university’s vision of helping all Pace graduates realize their full potential as innovative thinkers and active problem solvers who are uniquely trained to make positive and enduring contributions to our future world.
Pace University’s Assistant Provost for Wellness Sue Maxam said, “The UN Academic Impact-Millenium Fellowship is a truly transformative experiential learning opportunity for our students, which has a huge impact not only on them but the community at large.”
