Fresno State students took part in the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) the first weekend in March at the University of Miami. The event brought together students, university representatives, topic experts and celebrities to develop solutions to global challenges.
Fresno State students Alexis Jackson, Cindy Arredondo and Manuel Marin each developed their own Commitments to Action – a set of specific and measurable initiatives aimed at addressing a social challenge.
Jackson, a double major in plant and animal science, developed the New Opportunities for the Future commitment. Working with the Shinzen Friendship Garden, Inc. of Fresno, Jackson’s commitment initiates experiential educational workshops through outreach to local schools, art organizations and cultural coalitions.
Arredondo’s commitment, the Fresno State Free Legal Clinic, will provide students with legal resources including educational seminars about specific areas of the law. Arredondo is majoring in criminology with a minor in business.
“Attending CGI U 2015 was both an inspiring and humbling experience,” Arredondo said. “It’s not every day that we have an opportunity to meet with some of the greatest leaders in the world and I am grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I left with great motivation and empowerment, knowing that we are all destined for greatness because we embrace the notion that human connection and collaboration are among the greatest assets for optimal global impact to be achieved.”
Marin, a business administration major, developed the Fresno State Gleaning Network, which organizes student volunteers to pick fruit left behind in the commercial and non-commercial harvesting of farms. This fruit is delivered to food distribution agencies such as the Community Food Bank to be redistributed to people in need.
In 2014 Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro committed the University’s participation in CGI U and the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship manages Fresno State’s involvement in this program.
For additional information, contact Nelson Sebra at (559) 278-3768 or nsebra@csufresno.edu.
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