Author: Michelle Simkins, Key Account Specialist at StudentUniverse

StudentUniverse’s mission is to make global experiences possible. We are proud to partner with an an innovative social enterprise that helps make that mission possible, Me to We. Me to We believes that every young person has the power to change the world. The company provides people with better choices for a better world, offering socially conscious and environmentally friendly products as well as life-changing volunteer experiences to developing communities around the world.

Me to We hosts an annual series of stadium-sized events, called We Day, which brings together world-renowned speakers and performers with tens of thousands of youth to kick-start a movement. These events spur a year of action through the We Act program, which offers educational resources and campaigns to help young people turn the day’s inspiration into sustained action. Students cannot purchase tickets to We Day; young people earn them by committing to take action on one local and one global cause of their choice.

As the StudentUniverse Key Account Specialist for Me to We, I was excited to be an Honored Guest at last week’s 1st Annual We Day Illinois. Over 15,000 youth who have made a difference in the Chicago area gathered together alongside incredible speakers (including Kardinal Official, Martin Sheen, Kweku Mandela – grandson of the late South African president Nelson Mandela and Magic Johnson) with strong motivational messages, and stand-out performers (like Selena Gomez, Jennifer Hudson, Common, Tyrese Gibson, Kid President, Macklemore, Kenny “Baby Face” Edmonds and Colbie Caillat) that had us dancing in our seats.

Magic Johnson has been a major supporter of Me to We, giving millions of his own money to support various Me to We and Free the Children efforts. As someone who has battled HIV for 23 years, Johnson spoke to the crowd about overcoming adversity, “I know what it’s like to face adversity. Never back down; never make excuses.” I had the great pleasure of meeting him on site at We Day.

One of the many roles StudentUniverse plays in our partnership with Me to We is arranging the flights for 125+ We Day Staff members that travel from city to city organizing and executing these amazing events. I am constantly in awe of the hard work and dedication each member of the Me to We Staff, along with Free the Children (an international charity empowering and enabling youth to be agents of change), puts into making it all happen. StudentUniverse is proud to have ticketed several hundred We Day Staff this Spring for We Days in California, Seattle and Illinois.

Author: Michelle Simkins, Key Account Specialist at StudentUniverse