3 Great Examples of Passion Projects with Strong Impact
By: Dr. Lydia C.
To do meaningful passion projects, you do not have to wait for permission or for an extravagant idea! Start with what you care about and test an impactful idea with the smallest version you can.
If you are interested in STEM: what is a small system around you that is inefficient in terms of time, money or resources and how could it be better redesigned?
If you are interested in art, writing, or humanities: what stories in your communities are invisible and how could you bring it to light through art, interviews, performances etc?
And if you feel passionate about organizing and social justice: what are problems that you feel “someone” should do something about (i.e. an event, resource etc)? All these answers can bring solutions in the form of research, community initiatives, creative endeavors, small business or campaigns. And the most impactful contributions often show up at the intersection of all these ideas!
Here are three examples across different interests that inspire all of us.
Why are all these projects impactful?
These examples share:
(1) having a real audience that needs or uses
(2) a clearly described problem
(3) evidence that points to results in use, partnerships, prototypes, performances, stories, collected funds raised etc. and
(4) iteration to improve with feedback.
Example 1: Krishna Marco created an app “Krishi: to connect farmers, consumers, and delivery drivers to reduce food waste and improve access to fresh local produce.
This community food-access app was built from personal connection that started with listening (talking with vendors about what they were struggling with) and then building a solution that was iterated based on feedback.
Example 2: Mia Heller developed a filtration system that removes microplastics from drinking water using ferrofluid that binds to microplastics. This low-cost water filter was inspired by local water contamination concerns, presenting a local community-facing problem, scientific curiosity, and a prototype.
Example 3: Charlie Murphy created a 13-minute documentary film “Cheeseburgers and Py” to spotlight everyday generosity and highlight local narratives of the community.
By considering the audience, a community, and problems or stories that they saw around them, all 3 students above were able to create very different projects that had strong, positive impacts!
