While Karsten Szajner served on the executive board of the UM-Dearborn She’s the First chapter, the student organization was recognized nationally as “Chapter of the Year.” As a Philosophy Club member Szajner helped host several hot topic debates—from the Syrian Refugee Crisis to the U.S. election. And when he was a Student Government senator, he led the way in creating a committee about environmental sustainability.
No one would believe today that prior to stepping foot on campus, Szajner wasn’t especially involved in extracurricular activities.
“I didn’t come here thinking I was going to jump into everything as a freshman. I really wasn’t active in my high school, maybe a little bit my senior year. But when I was asked by friends and classmates to join groups here, I went with it,” said Szajner, who will receive his bachelor’s degree Sunday. “I realized that I wanted much more than to go to campus for class and then to go back home. I wanted to do what I could to make a difference.”
And what difference does the Class of 2017 graduate hope to make?
“I want to help inspire dialogue. To open people up to conversation, which will hopefully lead to different perspectives and change,” said Szajner, who majored in political science and economics, with the hopes that an education in both would be helpful in critical thinking. “I am a completely different person from when I first came to campus. I believe it is because I was open to the people that I’ve met here.”
During the first semester of his freshman year, Szajner said he attended a campus cultural expo hosted by an organization called Globe, which had food, music, entertainment and interactive activities to experience and celebrate cultural diversity on the campus. He learned about different cultures and met students from different areas of the world.
“I grew up in a non-diverse area. I didn’t know what to expect when I went to that event, but when I think of a transformative experience on campus, that’s the first one that I think about,” said Szajner. “I wanted to learn about points of view that might be different than what I was used to.”
He said his interest in learning about others and humanitarian causes led to his passion for environmentalism too.
As a Student Government senator, he chaired the Environmental Sustainability Committee to secure campus community garden plots for students to gain experience with food production and knowledge of the intersections between food systems and environmental outcomes. He’s written research papers on renewable energy. And he’s an active member of a group that collected and repurposed 160lbs of food and donated it to the student food pantry.
“If you want to help others, taking care of the environment is one of the most important things that we can do for the future,” said Szajner, who did a public policy internship with the Eight Mile Boulevard Association, a nonprofit that works on revitalization projects for the Eight Mile corridor.
As for his future, Szajner said he used to think he wanted to work on an international level. He’s still interested in that, but—for now—he’s thinking locally.
“My internship brought home how complex local and state government is. It’s important to be knowledgeable and help those in our communities,” he said. “And there is a need to work to better people’s lives right here, right now.”
