I often find that I'm so caught up in my own life and goals that I rarely inquire about other people's goals and hopes. This leads to narrowmindedness and often times, negativity. It's incredibly refreshing to hear people's ambitions on how they plan to leave their mark on the world. Even more specifically, as a woman, it's amazing to hear how the female leaders around me are going to change the world. It reminds me that every barrier I face, I can knock down. These women are determined, ambitious, beautiful, and outright courageous. When asked how they plan to change the world around them, these were their replies.

1. Jasmine Haddaway, Senior

The elevator pitch answer is that I intend to use international development as a tool for diplomacy to empower marginalized groups, particularly women and girls. But the big picture behind this answer stems from my Christian faith. One of my favorite things about Jesus is that He was a fierce advocate for the most vulnerable populations and stood up for them in a way that exuded humility, compassion, and immense love. This emphasis on social justice has impacted my life tremendously and spurs me on to never stop fighting for those who need it most. I am so stinking thankful that I get to dedicate my career and my life to doing what I call "work worth doing"-building relationships to create social change and investing in others so that they can empower their communities from within.

2. Rachna Sannegowda, Senior

I plan to change the world around me by leading innovative projects and addressing questions that have already instilled a sense of purpose and excitement in me throughout college. Designing technologies at the intersection of medicine and engineering have taught me to creatively address technical gaps, have patience, and ask questions that promote real team progress. I hope that my engineering background and caring personality will enable me to bring novel therapeutic treatments to the bedside of patients. As a strong believer in “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” I think that continuing to surround myself with enriching and inspirational people will be key to driving positive change in the world.

3. Addie Burchell, Sophomore

I hope to change the world around me by putting an end to an issue I am really passionate about, which is human trafficking. While I have big dreams of seeing thousands of women experience freedom and come to realize their value and worth, I get easily overwhelmed. I am just one person. But I have heard that change starts at an individual level. So by focusing on helping one individual at a time and being faithful to those around me, I believe that God will do so much more than I could ever ask or imagine. He loves those women more than I ever could. So today, I try to take every opportunity remind the 23 women I live with of their beauty, purpose, and value. I also volunteer with an organization called Created Gainesville which seeks to Empower, Heal and Restore women who have been caught in the sex industry in Gainesville.

4. Veronica Hubbard, Sophomore

When I was growing up the thought of changing the world was a challenge I put on myself to dramatically influence the course of our future. I have discovered that I no longer have that ‘macroscale’ desire to have a huge impact on the world. I do, however, hope to have a large influence on the lives of a few individuals. I have had the pleasure to be a part of introducing unconditional love and forgiveness to two children who did not receive it from their parents. I have also witnessed firsthand the power of encouraging and serving one individual at a time. I firmly believe that by humbling oneself and deeply investing in others, the world will slowly begin to change. Having this mindset, I look forward to growing as a person (relationally, emotionally, physically, spiritually) through one-on-one interactions with others. As challenges naturally arise, I will change the world around me by helping bear the burdens of others (so they don’t feel utterly alone or unloved) to impact the world.

5. Deepti Singam, Sophomore

For the longest time, I thought that I just wanted to become a doctor and treat the community around me. After starting college and slowly becoming immersed in my biomedical engineering classes, I realized that I still want to become a practicing physician, but I also want to improve the current equipment used in surgery. After shadowing a couple of surgeons, I've realized inefficiencies in many stents and grafts used in patients and thought it would be better to improve the lifespan of these materials so that the patient and family do not have to pay to see the surgeon more than they have to. I also want to work towards achieving a more affordable healthcare system globally and making proper medical care available to all parts of the world!

6. Leilani Astrab, Sophomore

How do I want to change the world? Man. If you had asked me this question when I was seven years old I would have said I planned to cure a common cold. I was pretty ambitious. Now I realize that my main goal for "changing the world" has always been to make an impact by helping others. I spent the majority of my childhood with one doctor or another, whether it was an allergist or a dentist, something was always wrong with me. When I got older I knew that I wanted to prevent others from going through what I experienced and I felt a call to science and medicine. This is what made me pursue biomedical engineering and why I still hope to study how we can help the body fight disease. While curing a common cold would still be wonderful, I now desire to contribute to society by helping to advance medicine and hopefully impact future generations.

7. Isabelle Crevier, Junior

A little context, I am an advertising major at the University of Florida. I believe that in the world of advertising, we strive to make an impact every day by representing and communicating a company's message for the benefit of the consumer. However, these impacts are usually momentary; they gain attention, but do not keep it. I never want to settle for momentary, I want to seek for memorable. I am eagerly seeking to create lasting sparks in people, which might sound like an oxymoron. However, a spark is an ignited and fiery particle that activates or stimulates. I believe that we can change the game of advertising if we have this in the forefront of our minds. But with this, I believe it will take intent, sympathy, humility, and an open mind. I believe that no matter how good something or someone is, there is always room to learn and grow. I plan to take a piece of knowledge wherever I find myself and with whomever I am surrounded by.

8. Brittany Bridges, Sophomore

This year has given me the opportunity to discover tangible ways to foster change in my community at the University of Florida. I intend to change the world around me through my work with the Gatorship Program here at UF. Gatorship helps educate individuals about diversity and inclusivity in all areas of social justice. Only through education and knowledge can we expect real change and acceptance to occur, and I can't wait to take the lessons I have learned through Gatorship, and those I will continue to learn as a Gatorship staff member, out into my community and start making a difference.

9. Laura Harms, Junior

Intentionality. It’s a word that I have spent most of my college career trying to understand. Throughout my experiences, I have noticed a major disconnect between people. I believe that the answer lies in people not being intentional. Intentional in their actions, relationships, time. We always think that someone else is going to initiate that coffee date or we make up excuses to not join that friend in spin class or we decide to sit on the couch instead of practicing self-care by taking time to spend in nature. How am I going to change the world? I am going to start with my actions and viewing my life with intention. I hope to create a ripple effect by putting my phone away when I am talking to someone or initiating a conversation with someone not like me. My goal is to promote a culture of care and impact those around me with the hope that they will make an effort to be more present in others lives. Small action for a potentially massive result.

10. Niko Alaezi, Junior

I have a passion for others. I want to change the world by using my anthropology and nursing studies to provide holistic care. Being culturally competent in an increasingly globalized world is so important when caring for a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. Patients often come in sick, anxious, and confused. As a nurse, I believe the power of medicine can save lives. But as a human, I know that a smile, a listening ear, and a nod of understanding can change lives.

11. Keira Hornyak, Law Student

Simple. Love intentionally. Listen diligently. Inspire constantly. Oh, and kick butt protecting our God-given rights as an attorney!