Five Missouri S&T students turned 24 hours into a winning idea during the Campus Impact Challenge Sept. 12-13, hosted by Kummer Student Programs. 

The winning team includes Isha Chaudhari, a first-year student in computer science; Raksha Thiagarajan, a sophomore in information science and technology; Eleanor Schott, a sophomore in engineering management; Xavier Monnig, a sophomore in computer science; and Carmen Fort, a first-year student in civil engineering. Each student received $200 in scholarships. 

The challenge invites undergraduate students to create meaningful change in just 24 hours. Participants are placed on teams and asked to identify a campus or community challenge, explore the barriers that contribute to the issue and then present solutions to a panel of judges.  

“What we’re really trying to teach is the entrepreneurial mindset: curiosity, connections and creating value. This challenge ties all of those together while giving students hands-on teamwork and critical thinking experience,” says Shannon Young, program manager of Kummer Student Programs. 

Their winning concept, the Green Bowl Kitchen, is an idea for a new spot in Havener Center that serves vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free meals.  

“The twist was that they didn’t just pitch the idea; they created a full menu with recipes to back it up,” Young says. 

Chaudhari said the team’s idea came from their peers struggling to find certain food options for those with dietary restrictions. 

“Green Bowl would be a spot for anyone to have a nutritious and inclusive meal from our handcrafted menu,” Chaudhari says. 

Now in its third year, the Campus Impact Challenge has influenced positive changes at S&T.  

In 2023, student recommendations helped reshape the freshman engineering program. In 2024, a team’s idea for clearer degree requirements affected the decision to adopt a new degree-tracking platform.  

Now in 2025, the winning Green Bowl Kitchen idea has sparked conversations with campus dining leaders about bringing the concept to life. 

“It’s always impressive what students come up with in such a short amount of time,” Young says. “They have only 24 hours, but their ideas can bring real change to campus.” 

The judges were Josh Gruenke, director of student involvement; Dr. Jim Sterling, founding vice provost and dean of Kummer College; Lisa Masters, executive philanthropic advisor; Leticia Steffen, assistant vice chancellor of academic achievement and enrichment; and Ashley Crilly, director of undergraduate admissions. 

About Missouri S&T 

Missouri University of Science and Technology is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to The Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.