Impact Projects: Top 3 Projects From Princeton Students

This is Part 3 of our Student Project Inspiration Series. This week, we have three stand-out ventures by current Princeton students.

If you are part of one of these initiatives, please get in touch for a chance to be interviewed.

Project 1: Lead Youth Volunteer at Moody Gardens’ SAVY Program

Moody Gardens’ Mission

Moody Gardens is a public, non-profit educational centre that utilizes nature to promote rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.

Pillars & impact 

1. Raised $6,000+ for Association of Zoos and Aquariums Saving Animals From Extinction Program (AZA SAFE) 

2. Mentored youth in leading interactive conservation exhibits

3. Collaborated with biologists to create an educational program on endangered species

Why it works

• Clear social impact: directly supports endangered species and wildlife conservation

• Community engagement: educating the public through interactive displays amplifies awareness and inspires action

• Collaboration with experts: working with biologists adds credibility and depth to the educational content/

Project 2: Executive Director at LingHacks

LingHacks’ Mission

LingHacks, a Hack+ project, is an international nonprofit using the intersection of math and language to teach students natural language processing (NLP), problem-solving, and interdisciplinary skills through hackathons, workshops, and clubs.

Pillars & impact

1. Organized 4 sub-teams to run a computational linguistics hackathon for 200+ high school students

2. Raised $50,000 in grants and awards for participants, winners, and judges

3. Led workshops introducing students to natural language processing (NLP) and computational linguistics

Why it works

• Wide reach: engaging many students introduces a large audience to the niche and growing field of computational linguistics

• Resource mobilization: raising funds reflects initiative and a strong belief in supporting equitable access

• Educational value: workshops empower students with new knowledge and skills.

Project 3: Founder of Phasing Out Plastic Bottles (POPB)

How it started

Ziya Merchant was inspired by her mother’s motto of “the health of our planet is our health, too,” and Mireta Strandberg-Salmon’s campaign to ban bottled water sales at her high school and local university.

Mission

Phasing Out Plastic Bottles (POPB) is a growing grassroots organization committed to reducing plastic water bottle use by raising awareness of its social, ethical, and environmental impacts.

Pillars 

• Providing students with materials that inform them about the social, ethical, and environmental impacts of bottled water

• Encouraging schools to take tangible steps—installing water fountains, ending bottled water sales, and raising awareness about water commercialization issues

• Addressing water insecurity in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside—distributing clean, reusable water bottles to unhoused individuals

Impact

1. Established 15+ chapters in schools across British Columbia and the United States

2. Partnered with On The Streets of Vancity—collected, cleaned, refilled, and distributed unclaimed reusable water bottles from local events to unhoused individuals

3. Fundraised for Water First—raising awareness about the lack of clean water in Indigenous communities

Why it works

• Education & empowerment: providing students with knowledge about the issues with bottled water inspires a generation to make informed, sustainable choices

• Practical, community-based solutions: encouraging schools to take tangible steps ensures that the project leads to real, measurable change within communities

• Scalable: establishing chapters in schools across multiple regions helps spread the message, and fundraising for local initiatives ties to broader water access issues

Main points: 

• Each project focuses on a specific topic or issue, providing tailored solutions and impacts

• Consider how these projects resonate with your passions and adapt them to reflect your personal perspective and background

More Resources