About the Event

Join us for the exciting culmination of the BU Refugee Challenge! We'll hear finalists pitch their ideas to an esteemed panel of judges (below), celebrate the winners, and enjoy a reception with refreshments.

About the Changemaker Challenge

This year’s BU Changemaker Challenge invites students and class of 2022 alumni to become advocates for the refugees and migrants in their community. We’re looking for big, innovative ideas on ways to lower barriers and assist this population in navigating this country’s complex systems successfully. The team with the winning idea will receive $10,000 in funding.

Meet the Judges

Dr. Beverly Brown, the wife of Boston University President Robert Brown, is director of development, industry, at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Dr. Brown is also on Marsh Chapel’s Dean’s Advisory Board and a member of the Development Committee. She serves on the advisory boards and lectures for WISE (Women in Science & Engineering), GWISE, and the WISE@Warren residence program. She serves on the Advisory Board of Innovate@BU as well as the WBUR Community Advisory Board. Dr. Brown is the honorary president of the BU Women’s Guild and led the effort to establish an endowment for women graduate students. She travels extensively to support the University’s development efforts across the United States, Asia, India, and the Middle East.

Representative Dylan Fernandes has served Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket in the legislature since 2017 where he has focused on combating climate change, advancing affordable housing, and addressing the opioid and heroin epidemic. He serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development, and has seats on the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy, and the Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change.

Amy Slaughter, Senior Advisor at RefugePoint, is a refugee assistance professional with 25+ years of experience in both the NGO sector and UN system at international, national, and local levels. A seasoned operational leader, she has directed refugee resettlement programs, helped build RefugePoint, and launched a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on refugee self-reliance. She is also a published author on refugee issues.

Gladys Vega has dedicated more than three decades of service to the City of Chelsea and La Colaborativa, which she joined in 1990 – just two years after its founding. Gladys was born in Puerto Rico and came to Chelsea with her family at the age of nine. Since that time, she has made a lifelong commitment to the community in which she was raised. During her tenure at La Colaborativa, Gladys has assumed increasing levels of responsibility with each passing year, as she moved from receptionist to community organizer to Assistant Executive Director and ultimately Executive Director. She has led La Colaborativa in the Executive Director role since 2006. She was appointed Vice Chair of the Governor's Council on Latino Empowerment in April 2023.

A﻿bout the Event

A﻿bout the Changemaker Challenge

Meet the J﻿udges

About the Event

About the Changemaker Challenge

Meet the Judges

BU Refugee Challenge Finale