Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete (TVE): Shalini Mehra (IE) and Nicole Johnson (BSBA) are reporting on Generation Z attitudes toward repairability and sustainable consumption.
“Interning with the Association of Conscious Consumers (TVE) this summer in Budapest has been a great opportunity to expand my understanding of sustainability and the role repairability plays in it, while also gaining a global business perspective,” reflected Nicole.
“What I found most rewarding about working with students from Georgia Tech is that I learn a lot from them about the US perspective, which is often very different from the European one,” said Dr. Júlia Dénes of TVE, a social enterprise that educates consumers about sustainable services and products.
Biofilter Környezetvédelmi Zrt.: Alex Thompson (BSBA) and John D'Souza (CS) are analyzing the biodiesel and used cooking oil markets and designing an educational sustainability board game for children and families.
Levegő Munkacsoport (Clean Air Action Group): Ria Gupta (IE) and Katherine Mangual (BSBA) are researching sustainable urban freight solutions, cargo bike logistics, and urban mobility through field observation and data collection.
Habitat for Humanity Magyarország (HHH): Shreya Hegde (BSBA) and Harika Kanaparti (BSBA) are producing storytelling content and outreach materials to strengthen public engagement ahead of HHH’s 30th anniversary.
Harika points out the perspective change this experience brought: “before this program, I thought that if you were passionate about a cause or that if you took time out of your day to volunteer, that that was enough. But through LSG, I realized that good intentions only get you so far. And that creating meaningful impact starts with listening and taking the time to understand what people and organizations actually need.”
Shreya added: “We‘ve been placed in settings where people need instant solutions and ideas from us, so we really had to learn how to think on our feet and adapt fast. Being on site lets us see the actual impact of Habitat’s work firsthand, and getting to capture all of this through the photos and videos we take just makes it feel way more real and impactful than just us learning and reading about it in class.”
Szilvia Toth, Habitat Hungary’s communications director, praised the students’ approach to work: “Throughout the project, they demonstrated enthusiasm, curiosity, and a strong commitment to understanding our work and the challenges we address. Their fresh perspectives, creativity, and thoughtful contributions have enriched our communications efforts as we prepare for Habitat for Humanity Hungary's 30th anniversary.”
Bátor Tábor Foundation: Elizabeth Eldeiry (Neuroscience) and Mia Lecca (BSBA) are exploring innovative earned-income strategies and developing a business plan to assess and strengthen the organization's long-term financial sustainability.
“We appreciate their ideas and suggestions, our collaborative brainstorming sessions, and the way they genuinely embraced the mission of Bátor Tábor, ensuring their work was always aligned with and attuned to our goals,” noted Kiss Ambrus from Bátor Tábor, a camp for children with serious illnesses and one of Hungary’s most beloved nonprofit brands.
Papírsárkány Gyermekalapítvány: Reagan Twomey (BSBA) and Janice Kim (BSBA) are strengthening donor engagement, communications strategy, social media growth, and corporate partnerships.
Tűzcsiholó Egyesület: Molly Suggs (BSBA) and Jacob Sherburne (BSBA) are supporting family camp programming and creating content to enhance the organization's digital storytelling.
Domino Tanoda (Kompánia Alapítvány): Emely Carbajal (BSBA) and Jaiden Dodia (BSBA) are supporting English-language learning through interactive activities and creating social media content that tells the story of their impact.
Emely highlighted the importance of active listening when working in a foreign environment: “I find that being humble, listening to others, and adapting to different situations is very important because we don't quite know all the details of the culture.”
Zsámboki Biokert Cargonomia: Mirabelle Havette (Physics) and Brian Feagin (CS) are researching sustainable freshness and storage solutions for organic vegetable supply chains, with a focus on low-energy, low-waste, and practical approaches for small-scale organic farms.
Together, these projects illustrate the power of community-based learning to connect academic knowledge with real-world impact.
“These projects give students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world organizational challenges while building cross-cultural understanding, leadership skills, and a deeper appreciation for civil society's role in our democracies. We are grateful to all of our partners for welcoming our students and investing in the next generation of socially conscious leaders” reflected Dr. Dori Pap, director of the program.
The Institute for Leadership and Social Impact (ILSI) is an interdisciplinary institute at Georgia Tech dedicated to promoting servant leadership and advancing organizational practices that contribute to a more just, caring, and sustainable world. Through experiential learning, research, and community partnerships, we nurture leaders who drive meaningful social change—locally in Atlanta and globally. To learn more about our initiatives and programs, visit our website.
