Kinspire UW
Kinspire UW is an RSO (Registered Student Organization) at the University of Washington, which was founded in 2014. As a chapter of Kinspire, Kinspire UW focuses on raising awareness and expanding participation in its philanthropic efforts to the student body at the University of Washington. This year, Kinspire UW developed a curriculum for Kinspire’s Portal and hosted virtual fundraisers to provide financial support for the students in India.
Upcoming Events
UW Kinspire Ideathon: March 8th, 2025
The Kinspire Ideathon is a pitch competition inviting high school and college students from the Washington area to a day full of innovative problem solving on UW’s campus. Teams of 3-5 students will compete to see who can come up with the best ways to address the most pressing problems for the world today.
Ideathon Prize Tracks:
Best Impact
Teams in this category best addressed categories of:
- Accessibility
- Overall contribution to society
- Well defined scope and complexity of the problem
Most Innovative
The most innovative award will go to the team that focuses on having:
- An out of the box approach
- An emphasis on creativity at every step in the ideation process.
Best Overall
A combination of the other two prize tracks, the best overall team’s solution will be:
- Most practical
- Scalable/marketable
- Sustainable
- Out of the Box
- Maximizes impact
Ideathon Event Logistics:
Accepted Presentation formats:
- Posters
- PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, etc.
- Videos
- Skit
- If you have other ideas, mentors at the ideathon can approve them!
Mentors & Judges:
The mentors at the event will be available to help you refine your pitches and ideas in addition to providing some general guidance. The judges will be the current Kinspire.
Carolyn Bines
Executive Director, Guatemala Village Health
Carolyn Bain, MPH, received her MPH from Columbia University, has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic (’91-’93), and trained Peace Corps volunteers in the Child Survival Program. Carolyn worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights program in Santiago Chile 1999-2005. In addition to working at GVH, she coordinates an HIV clinical trial for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Akhtar Badshah, PhD
Founder and Chief Catalyst of Catalytic Innovators Group
A seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in international development managing a corporate philanthropic program and co-founding a global nonprofit on social enterprise. Badshah has also taught architecture and urban development at MIT and is a published author, and an acclaimed international speaker. His expertise is in the area of social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, information technology for development (ICT4D) and creating opportunities for youth.
Stephen Meyers
Director, Center for Global Studies; Associate Professor, LSJ/International Studies
Currently, Meyers is the Director of the Center for Global Studies and the Chair of the MA in International Studies program in the Henry M Jackson School of International Studies at the UW. In 2019, Meyers co-founded with Megan McCloskey the Disability Inclusive Development Initiative in the International Policy Institute at the Jackson School. The DIDI involves graduate and undergraduate students in applied research projects that advance disability human rights and disability inclusive international development.
Event Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GJVJJbbhVeSg-87oVToihC8k599KdBmg7pBeR1sfGDE/edit?usp=sharing
Team
2024-2025 Kinspire Board
Devi Bharani
Co-President
Sanjita Rishikesan
Co-President
Om Sahayam
Co-President
Arushi Agarwal
Vice President
Tejasvini Vijay
Marketing Chair
Janani Maheshwaran
Marketing Chair
Hrudhai Umas
Fincance Chair
Prachi Sangani
Finance Chair
Adi Gollamudi
Logistics Chair
Ashwin
Logistics Chair
Sai Sunku
Tech Chair
Bhumika Singh
Freshman Representative
Chandana
Freshman Representative
Varsha
Freshman Representative