ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2022
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. Over 31,000 young leaders on 2,400+ campuses across 140+ nations applied to join the Class of 2022. 200+ campuses worldwide (just 8%) were selected to host the 3,000+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT GABRIELA MARIA RUIZ, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2022.
University of Kansas | Kansas, United States | Advancing SDG 14 & UNAI 9
" I have always been passionate about getting directly involved in my local community. I am looking forward to new opportunities for community service and social engagement that will be available through my participating in the Millennium Fellowship. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Friends of the Kaw
The Kansas River, colloquially referred to as "The Kaw" is a prairie-fed river stretching 173 miles from Junction City, Kansas into the Missouri River near Kansas City. The river supplies drinking water to roughly 800,000 Kansans, and is the state's most popular river. Our project centers around partnering with a decades old organization, known as Friends of the Kaw, to begin a project meant to preserve the health of the Kansas River by combatting the primary issues it currently faces: sand dredging, littering and pollution (especially nonpoint source pollution), the effects of climate change, invasive species, and inaccessibility. The Kansas river is extremely important, both from and ecological perspective and a cultural perspective, as it is very important to many of the indigenous peoples of the region. Maintaining the rivers health and ensuring that all people have equal and sustainable access to its resources is vitally important, and we hope to keep the river safe for future generations.
About the Millennium Fellow
Gabriela Ruiz is an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas studying English, Economics, and International Studies. She is originally from Overland Park, Kansas and graduated from Blue Valley High School in 2020. At the University of Kansas, she is an executive officer for Model UN and a member of the University Honors Program. She is passionate about music and plays cello in various school and community orchestras. She enjoys getting involved in her local community and has five years of community service experience at an organization that strives to educate families about local wildlife and history. She believes that this experience has prepared her find additional avenues for community engagement going forward.