STUDENT SUCCESS
Student Innovator: Emilee Ruhland
Published March 2016
Graduate student Emilee Ruhland is among the 13 NDSU students selected to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University in Berkeley, California, in April.
The initiative challenges college students to address social issues with practical, innovative solutions. Each participant develops a new, specific and measurable plan to address the societal need they have identified. Only about 1,000 students around the country are invited to the conference.
Program: Master’s, English
Hometown: Snoqualmie, Washington
Her project: An online community called AuSome Environments. It will connect teachers and Autism Spectrum Disorder experts, so they can network and share ideas for helping students on the spectrum succeed in school.
Effect on society:
- Teachers, the primary target audience, will have a support system they can turn to in order to successfully work with their students.
- Students with autism spectrum disorder can receive the support they need to become successful, and likely brilliant, additions to society.
- AuSome Environments will create a community that fosters communication and understanding between teachers, parents, organizations and people on the autism spectrum.
Next steps: “I plan to continue to work with my teammates, Tish Schnase and Samantha Hamernick, to meet with organizations and teachers in the Fargo-Moorhead area. I would also love to see AuSome Environments eventually spread nationally."
