Boise State Social Impact Challenge Reaches Halfway Mark

Boise State University's Social Impact Challenge reached its midpoint on October 27, with students finalizing proposals for the upcoming final pitch meeting.

The competition tasks participants with developing solutions to community issues, offering up to $3,000 to the winning project. Mike Stefancic, director of student success for the public service unit, said the initiative is proceeding on schedule. "It's going quite well," Stefancic said. "Students are really excited and they're motivated to do these types of projects." The final presentations are scheduled for November 6.

Charlotte McNeely, a senior, is developing a proposal to raise awareness about and support legislation banning anonymous social media applications like Yik Yak from school Wi-Fi networks. She graduates in May but aims to address how people engage with others online. "I think that as social media and the use of technology and AI become so much more relevant in our today's society, that people don't necessarily always think about, 'oh, there's a human on the other side of my comment,' and it hurts people," McNeely said.

Freshman Chloe Mann is narrowing the focus of her project, which centers on connecting people with nonprofit food banks. Mann is building a platform that would allow users to post about their struggles anonymously. "I'm really focusing on the shame that comes with it," Mann said. "One of my ideas was to do an app where people could post anonymously about their struggles without feeling embarrassed about it." Mann stated that she would need to outsource the software development component of the project, as she lacks a background in the field.

Participation in the challenge also earns students academic credit. Stefancic noted that students have reported using the challenge experience in job interviews and on resumes, with employers providing direct feedback on the material.

Stefancic outlined the long-term intent of the program for its participants. "I think the biggest goal is that this becomes a beginning for them," Stefancic said. "I want to see their ideas continue on, whether that is the [project] itself or a version of that that kind of moves on."