Special Activities

We approach curating activities, as a gardener approaches nurturing their plants. Financial wellness is at the root of what we do. With us, you’ll learn the tools you need to successfully meet your life goals, even during times of uncertainty. Your world-class liberal arts education at Smith College is the foundation that our innovation programming enriches, ensuring your growth and cultivating your creativity, resilience, and resourcefulness. Through your experiences with the Conway Center, you will flourish, whether you want to become a leader, a change maker, your own boss, or anything else—the possibilities are truly limitless.

The Traveling Diaries: Smith Edition

The Smith College Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center has partnered with The Traveling Diary project to mark Smith’s 150th anniversary by celebrating the stories of alums and students.

About the Project

Traveling Diaries underscore the notion that creativity flourishes through collaboration, stories act as conduits linking individuals, and collective imagination can lead to boundless possibilities. The Conway Center invites students and alums to add your story, your voice, your pain, your joy, your imagination to the pages of the Smith edition of the Traveling Diaries that will circulate worldwide between July 1 and December 31, 2025.

About the Traveling Diary

The Traveling Diary project was born from Kyra Peralte’s desire for meaningful connection during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many turned to digital platforms—often resulting in “Zoom fatigue”—Peralte took a different route: she picked up a notebook, wrote her story, and mailed the book to a stranger with an invitation to continue the narrative. What began as one story has since grown into a global movement. Since 2020, a grassroots community of over 2,000 women across 33 countries has filled more than 1,500 pages in 40 physical and digital diaries. The Traveling Diary reminds us that vulnerability is a form of leadership, and that community can be built one page, one story, one voice at a time. Through this project, Peralte continues to challenge the fast-paced norms of startup culture by prioritizing intention, care, and creativity.

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Joypalooza: A Justice Celebration

The 2025 Smith Co-Innovate for Change: Justice Challenge culminated on April 11 in a celebration of student ingenuity, where 18 teams showcased their economic, education, environmental, or health justice project in the hopes of being awarded a share of the $50,000 award pool.

Winners

Pathfinders

Best in Show: LER NYAKO

Florence Auma ’28, Clare Njoroge ’28
$5,000

Runner Up: CRESCENDO

Nargiz Akkmetova ’28, Handi Lu ’25, Helen Zhou ’28
$3,000

Honorable Mention: HEN Collective

Alejandra Garcia-Pollis ’27, Iris Liu ’27, Madeline Mayes ’27
$2,000

Judges’ Choice

GROW

Audrey Banie ’27, Pokuaa Adwoa Boakye ’27
$4,000 (also won Best Showcase for $2,500)

Changemakers

Best in Show: AESOP (Afghan Education Student Outreach Project)

Margot Audero ’28, Winta Kebede ’AC, Husna Sepehre Ahmadi ’AC
$20,000 (also won Peer Pick for $2,500)

Runner Up: SEEDMATCH

Sonora Halili ’25, Ally Tutay ’25
$10,000

Honorable Mention: Justice Through Literacy

Olohi John ’27, Shalom Mhanda ’25
$5,000

About the Challenge

Gear up for an exhilarating opportunity. The Co-Innovate for Change Challenge issues yearly keyword adventures where Smith students tackle real-world issues and showcase innovative solutions. Over the course of the Spring, you’ll unleash your creativity, explore problems, present your United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) aligned solution, while developing your social change maker skills.

This culminating event each April is not just about the monetary awards, it’s about the recognition of your journey of discovery and learning over the course of the experience.

2024–25 Keyword: Justice

The Challenge

Your challenge is to cultivate a project that addresses systemic injustices and inequalities (e.g., food, health, tech, wealth justice, etc.). Consider tackling not only the immediate needs of impacted communities, but also promoting long-term sustainability. Projects must align with at least one of the environmental, economic, or social dimensions of the UN SDGs.

Dive In

Justice, especially important in the complex time in which we all live, is a fundamental principle calling for fair and equal treatment of all people. As a moral, philosophical, and legal foundation, justice demands that the benefits, opportunities, responsibilities, and protections within a society are applied impartially to every individual. This year, students are challenged to design solutions addressing different areas of justice to create a more equitable world.

Potential Areas of Focus

Legal Justice can be explored through four key components:

  • Distributive Justice: Fair distribution of resources and opportunities.
  • Procedural Justice: Fairness in the processes that resolve disputes and allocate resources.
  • Retributive Justice: Fair punishment that fits the crime.
  • Restorative Justice: Repairing harm and restoring relationships after wrongdoing.

Social Justice calls for every person to have equal rights and opportunities across all aspects of society—economically, politically, and socially. This is a broad category and can include racial justice, economic justice, and housing justice, among others.

Environmental Justice focuses on the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It includes the right to a healthy environment an addressing the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on marginalized communities.

Economic Justice ensures that all people have equitable opportunities to achieve economic success and stability. This includes addressing income inequality, creating job opportunities, and fostering an environment where wealth and resources are distributed fairly.

Housing Justice advocates for safe, affordable, and accessible housing for everyone, regardless of background, economic status, or race. It seeks to dismantle discriminatory practices that limit housing opportunities and to provide equitable access to health-promoting living conditions.

Racial Justice focuses on eliminating racial hierarchies and promoting equal opportunity to ensure the systematic fair treatment of people of all races. This can involve advocating for policy changes, recognizing systemic biases, and working towards inclusivity in institutions and communities.

  • Dream Team: Partner with 1–4 other students who represent at least one major that differs from yours. If you have not yet declared a major, you will need to find team members pursuing study outside of your current course departments.
  • Impactful Solutions: Identify a problem and design a solution that ensures that everyone, regardless of background or identity, has the opportunity to live with dignity, security and equality. 
  • Global Awareness: Ensure your project aligns with global sustainable development ideals. 
  • Creativity Unleashed: Flaunt your innovative thinking and dedication to making a positive change. 
  • Scale Up: Think big and project how your idea could create substantial impact

Make sure your team marks these key dates on your planning calendar.*

  • September 11
    What Is Conway?
    Learn about the challenge, supporting activities, and available resources.
  • December 6
    Intent to participate opens
  • February 14
    Intent to participate deadline
  • February 28
    Milestone 1 check due
  • March 21
    Milestone 2 check due
  • April 4
    Milestone 3 check due
  • April 11, noon–6 p.m.
    Joypalooza: Final Milestone Showcase

Over the course of the Justice Challenge, your team will be scored according to the following rubric:

  • Collaborative Brilliance: How well are your team members working together?
  • Commitment to Change: To what degree is your team demonstrating dedication to creating a positive and lasting impact?
  • Financial Sustainability: To what extent has your team planned for near- and long-term financial support for the project?
  • Global Alignment: How effectively does your project contribute to global sustainability goals?
  • Innovative Spirit: How creatively did your team approach the problem?
  • Lessons Learned: How well is your team highlighting lessons learned and insights gained throughout the process?
  • Progressive Journey: How well is your team showcasing progress, acknowledging pivots and learning?

Student Spotlight

Chaira Harder ’25

Major: Computer Science

PYX Boxing champions inclusivity and empowerment in boxing by providing boxing equipment designed for female athletes, creating a safer, more comfortable and performance-enhancing training experience that cultivates a sense of community and belonging in the sport.

“Boxing brings me joy; it helped me discover my own identity, rather than letting other people dictate it for me. Through this project, I have learned a significant amount about team dynamics and in turn, much about myself. It has shown me that setting boundaries and communicating directly are not negatives—they help to foster positive relationships.”
Chaira Harder ’25

Spring Showcases

At Smith, students have a wide range of opportunities to showcase their scholarly projects, creative talent, and innovative solutions to complex problems, including at Joypalooza.

Discover more ways Smithies get to share their projects with the community.

Explore Spring Showcases

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