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Community
MSME Student is University Innovation Fellow
First-year MSME student Nicholas Hennigan was chosen by the University Innovation Fellows (UIF) program to serve as one of 19 event leaders for the program’s Silicon Valley Meetup, which took place March 18-22, 2022. These 19 Fellows were hand-selected out of an international community of more than 2,600 Fellows for the impact they had at their schools, and for their continued contributions to the movement now that they have graduated.
At the March Meetup, Nicholas and the other event leaders represented their schools and companies in front of 400 attendees, including other Fellows, faculty members, and a group of institution presidents. They gave presentations on their UIF work to all attendees, modeling for the new Fellows the kind of impact they can have at their own schools.
In his presentation, “The Paradox of Homelessness: The Need for Personal Empathy,” Hennigan recounted his family’s journey into homelessness after they were hit by a drunk driver. They were seriously injured, and
uninsured. Soon, they found
themselves breaking the law
in order to seek shelter. “The
paradox of homelessness is
that the person experiencing
it constantly must weigh the
challenges of survival versus
following the law and social
norm,” said Hennigan.
“Empathy goes far beyond
just considering someone’s
perspective. It’s about
viscerally putting yourself
into their position. As University Innovation Fellows, faculty, and just professionals in general, it’s our duty to remember that each action we take can affect somebody.”
The UIF is a global program run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design that empowers student leaders to increase campus engagement with innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and design thinking.
Hennigan works in the Mechanical Energy and Power Systems Lab, led by Professor and Director of Graduate Studies Jim Van de Ven.
“We are proud to have Nicholas as such an accomplished Fellow in our community!” — Laurie Moore, University Innovation Fellows Communications Director
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