Sustainability Service Honor Graduates

Alaina da Costa

Major: Psychology, Child Learning & Development

UT Dallas Organizations: Newman Catholic Ministry, Fellowship of Christian University Students, Animal Rights Club

I want to volunteer here because I think it is an amazing opportunity to make a difference. I took a Sustainable Development and Local action class in fall 2020 where I learned about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and that one person can truly make a difference. Through genuine care and kindness, we can act as a light for others. I have become very grateful that I get to go into a helping profession and hope to further the SDGs in everyday life. Beyond college, I hope to continue serving both through volunteering and through my work. I will be pursuing a career in social work and hope to work towards SDG 3 of good-health and well-being. That semester showed me how important it is to take action. The interconnected nature of sustainability means that I can make a difference in multiple aspects. I have wanted to volunteer for some time and now I feel the call even more strongly.

Nishika Jaiswal

Major: Neuroscience

Minor: Dance

UT Dallas Organizations: Office of Student Volunteerism, Student Success Center - PLTL, First Year Leader Program, Freshman Mentor Program, American Medical Student Association, University Emergency Response Team, Global Brigades

A safer, healthier, and stronger community and Earth motivates me to be more sustainable. Since I was young and throughout my life, I believe I was making “sustainable” choices, but never labelled them as such. 10 years ago, I made the decision to become vegetarian, and I have never looked back. I am now working on going vegan as well. Additionally, I started “collecting” (keeping, instead of trashing) my toilet paper rolls and building a tower out of them because I felt bad for throwing them away. As silly as this sounds, I’ve realized the impact this could make once I did my research. In college, I learned so much more about sustainability through being a student leader at the Office of Student Volunteerism. Through upcycling events, community garden participation, food bank volunteering, and other such events, I have become so much more aware about sustainability. Immersing myself in impact areas for Alternative Spring Break trips such as Disability and Special Needs, Immigration, and now Sustainability, I have learned that so much of our service can count towards the 17 SDGs. Beyond college, I see myself continuing my dedication to service by being a physician and serving to better one’s health physically, mentally, and emotionally. I hope to also lead an environmentally sustainable lifestyle by making small, conscious changes to the way I live my life and the choices I make. Additionally, I hope to inspire my family and friends to make such changes as well.

Hassan Khanani

Major: Healthcare Management

Minor: Biology

UT Dallas Organizations: Pre-SOMA, Comet Cupboard, Freshman Mentor Program, Healthcare Management Association, Muslim Student Association, Molding Doctors, VolunTIER

Growing up as a first generation Pakistani-American, I didn’t realize how privileged I was. My parents would tell me stories about the economic struggles they lived through, the near poverty experiences, lack of proper education, and the difficulty of receiving healthcare. Through the hard work of my parents, I didn’t have to go through these struggles, but my parents consistently reminded me of how fortunate I was. From as young as I can remember every trip we made to visit our family back in Pakistan, my parents would take me out to volunteer at a food distribution center, at a disabilities school, and even at local hospitals. Since this young age, my parents built this foundation of giving back to the community, and helping others rise. I have always been told that I should be grateful that I am one who is able to give, and not one who needs to be given to. These experiences helped me develop into a strong and humble individual. These experiences gave me a purpose, which ultimately helped me decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I came to UTD as a way of reaching my ultimate goal of becoming a physician. I believe an education, and healthcare is a right of every human. As a physician I hope to be able to provide my services to those in need. An education is the most powerful gift that you can give anyone, and I strive to do whatever is in my power to consistently increase the literacy rate around the world.

Anna Straughan

Major: Psychology, Child Learning & Development

Minor: Spanish

I am motivated by the equality and climate action aspects of sustainability. I think that by working towards sustainability efforts, we can make climate action lifestyle changes more accessible for everyone through education and restructuring current policy with sustainability in mind. I do see myself committing my career in a sustainable direction. I’ve been plant-based for several years now and aim to educate others on how to adapt plant-based and sustainable lifestyle choices. I intend to pursue a career in mental health and caregiver education to provide resources for raising a child in a healthy and sustainable way. In my career, I also hope to eliminate the stigma around mental health services and normalizing mental health and a public health issue, hopefully making mental health services more accessible.