Students lead community-minded service projects through KU Trailblazers Program

LAWRENCE — Eighteen University of Kansas students are building leadership skills this fall while partnering with the community on projects that work toward social change. 

The KU Center for Service Learning (CSL) launched the Trailblazers Mini-Grant program in fall 2025. Using the KU Trails Toward Social Change model, Trailblazers provides an opportunity for Jayhawks collaborate with community and campus partners to approach their identified needs.  

The 2026-2027 cohort includes 14 projects. Student leaders collaborate as individuals or in pairs with community and Lawrence campus partners while being supported by several advisory board members. 

2026-2027 Trailblazers project titles and student leaders: 

• Adaptive Use Musical Instrument: Amelia Whittier, junior from Mission. 
• Detention Dignity and Community Support Project with Carceral Accountability Council: Gracie Oppeau, junior from Spring Hill.  
• Dream “Big” Day — Exploring Different Possibilities with O’Connell Children’s Shelter: Vishal Rajkumar, senior from Olathe.  
• Haskell Family History Exhibit: Sophia Tieking, senior from Benton. 
• Bingo is Canceled! A Musical Experience for Seniors in Hospice: Levi Cooper, senior from Carlisle, Iowa, and Zoe Longwell, senior from Overland Park. 
• Improving Sustainability in KU’s Scholarship Halls: Morgen Keller, junior from Liberty, Missouri. 
• Kansas Children’s Discovery Center Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices: Rylee Griffin, junior from Eudora. 
• KU Blood Drives Impact: Justyna Hayslett, senior from Leawood, and Mia Zdvorak, junior from Kansas City, Missouri. 
• LEAD UP Enrichment Scholarship: Lacey Nguyen, sophomore from Wichita, and Thi Hong Nguyen Khuu, junior from Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 
• LEAD UP Resume Workshop: Natalia Cepeda, senior from Olathe. 
• Moving Toward Success with Center for Supportive Communities: Lina Matthews, freshman from Lawrence. 
• Our Tangier — Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future: Addison Crockett, sophomore from Lubbock, Texas. 
• Sensory Agency — Tools for Choice and Regulation: Om Pande, senior from Olathe, and Zoish Bhagwagar, sophomore from Overland Park. 
• KU Student Accessibility Advisory Council: Mackenzie Besgrove, senior from Coralville, Iowa. 

The program cohort meets monthly to discuss their projects, identify opportunities to collaborate and collectively work through problems. Personal challenges, critical reflection and sustainable actions help ensure long-term positive impact.  

“Through this program, KU students can be innovative, bringing passions and interests to different community needs,” said Stephanie Ruppen, Center for Service Learning program coordinator. “This year's cohort brings new partners and social causes that students are focusing on, demonstrating a variety of ways Jayhawks can get involved in service through interests, skills and connections. We are excited to work with this new batch of students to help them develop into engaged global citizens.” 

The Trailblazers Mini-Grant and Cohort Program is funded on an annual basis through an external grant. This cohort will be funded through April 2027. 

Stay connected with the CSL to get an updated program timeline and future application processes by signing up for the CSL newsletter.

The Center for Service Learning collaborates with community and campus partners to develop students into engaged global citizens through experiential learning and civic engagement.