The Grand Finale has yet to come! 

On behalf of all the board members of The Ethos Project, we thank you all for your generous donations and helping us make this event come to life! Without you, it would be impossible to create this opportunity for our amazing speakers. We cannot stress it enough: Thank you. 

We hope to see you all at the symposium event, March 14th, in the Jordan Ballroom, located on the second floor of the Student Union Building. If you haven't yet, you can RSVP to the event on our website! 

Come see what all these amazing students have to say about their passion in life, and how you can help and be a part of something bigger. 

We hope to see you there! This is going to be amazing! 

"The power of imagination makes us infinite." - John Muir

Again, WOW! 

We have breached the 100% mark and we are still on the rise! 

Thank you all so, so, so much for your generosity! It truly warms all of our hearts involved with this project. 

Even though we have reached our goal, we can still collect donations so still share with your friends and family on these last couple days! Every single dollar still matters! 

If you haven't, and you would like to, RVSP for the event, you can do so here on our website! Where you can also find any information you lack in regards to the Ethos Project as a whole. 

Also, give our Facebook page a like and a follow our Twitter! 

Thank you again, this wouldn't be possible without your help! You are all amazing people! 

WOW! 

I think I can speak for the entire Ethos Project team by saying thank you so much. Your overwhelming generosity is very, very much appreciated! We are at 94% with some time to kill! We were reluctant to say our goal would be reached but we see now that this matters to you all, just as it matter to us. Thank you again. 

We are almost 100%! Please share with your family and friends so they can donate and help us get there! Just a few donations left! We can do it! 

If you would like some more information about the Ethos Project visit our website to learn about everything! Also visit our Facebook page and Twitter feed where we have been posting wonderful things relevant to our Ethos Speakers! 

One thing that isn’t foreign to America is war. Many veterans come back home mentally unstable, producing negative effects on them socially and within their families. We civilians know this to be called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This former military member, now psychology major, Trevor Hill, has created a solution to this epidemic that reaches so many homes in the United States. Trevor has created a non-profit organization called Zero Hour Expeditions, where he will take veterans, suffering from PTSD, out into the wilderness  30 days at a time. With the intent to help them decompress and cleanse their soul to realize the beauty that is to be had, every day, in this life. Trevor has felt this himself and upon an epiphany, came up with this idea to help others as he found it helped himself. 

Enough from me, let us hear from the man himself:

I am a sophomore at Boise State University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Communication. I am the Executive Director and founder of Zero Hour Expeditions, a nonprofit promoting alternative treatment methods of PTSD in Combat Veterans. My burning passion stems from 7 years of military service, with combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. In an effort to further develop Zero Hour Expeditions, I have completed programs with UCLA Anderson School of Business Management, National Outdoor Leadership School and the Wilderness Medicine Institute. My education and life experiences give way to a very unique and fresh perspective of how we can radically improve the lives our veterans. I joined Ethos Project to give my passion a voice.  A chance to stand up, be heard and bring attention to alternative methods of treating PTSD from a Veteran's perspective. The Ethos Project gives a platform to reach out to the community and form connections that would otherwise not be there.

If you want to learn more about Trevor and his organization, you can read this article, written by the Idaho Press, on this man's endeavors to change the world. 

Come support Trevor at the Boise State Ethos Project Symposium, March 14th, to learn more about his organization and how he elucidates that life is a miracle that we all share. 

There are some bold individuals in this world that cannot bear to see natural occupations cease to exist; Alex Barrow is one of those individuals. A student here in Boise State’s Nursing Program, Alex is already on a pursuit to better the world one life at a time. Instead of waiting to do just that – Alex is starting now, by creating the Boise Association Advancement for Herders (BAAH). Alex has taken a stand with the soon to be collapsing capita of sheepherders in the local area. These herders are legal migrant workers from Peru, who are working here to support their families back home. The herders live off the land with the sheep and have even created water filters so that the sheep can drink clean water stay healthy and live much longer lives, which in turn help local businesses accumulate the softest of wool. Alex is an advocate for these men, pushing towards the revival of the sheepherders, without his voice, they would be lost.

Let's hear more about Alex and why he joined the Ethos Project, from Alex himself:

I am a senior nursing student graduating this May! Originally from Lewiston, Id. I moved down to Boise to be part of their amazing Nursing Program. Love all the trees and how beautiful downtown Boise is compared to other cities. I have a strong desire to help people, and that is why I chose the nursing field. I joined the Ethos project because I wanted to bring attention to a group of individuals living in our backyard that need assistance and have limited means to obtaining help. Once I met with the Ethos group I was amazed at the diversity of individuals. I feel it is important for Boise State University to have a program like the Ethos project so people can bring attention to many different issues in our society. Giving individuals the platform to bring about change is huge, and I love that the Ethos project is here for us.

To learn more about the BAAH Organization and the Peruvian Sheepherders here in Idaho, check out this informational page. 

Come support Alex at the Boise Ethos Project Symposium, March 14, to learn more about the sheepherders of Idaho and how to help with Alex’s BAAH organization.

The use of service animals in todays society is growing bigger and bigger each year. These hard working animals are trained many different ways for a plethora of reasons. The point of these animals is to subdue the pain of their owner, make it easier for this certain person to go through this life, but what about the animals themselves? Rebecka, senior biology major, has asked that question and answered it herself. Raising service dogs for nine years has given Rebecka the knowledge and ambition to collaborate with Engineers here at Boise State, to create a new type of service dog vest that will help the animals in more ways than one. Using a material that decreases the risk of overheating, Rebecka and Dr. Uwereischl have created a vest that does just that. Recent tests have shown that this vest decreases infrared penetration by 40 percent! With perks like this, decreasing heat exhaustion and increasing the lifetime of these animals is a dream waiting to become true. 

Let's hear from this driven "outdoors-woman" herself:

I'm Rebecka “Brecka” Seward, also known as “puzzle brain,” “kid magnet,” and “animal whisperer,” i'm an eighth-generation Idahoan and an avid outdoorswoman with a passion for learning about life through working with animals and children.  Upon graduation from Boise State University I will be known as “One Who Studies Life” or simply a biologist! Throughout my first quarter of a century of living life, I have immersed myself in a variety of jobs, hobbies, volunteer opportunities, athletic goals, and educational endeavors. I hope to synthesize these experiences by establishing an “Oasis of Opportunities” for marginalized youth and animals. As a lifelong, insightful investigator I hope to help find innovative solutions to some of life’s issues—even if they are considered by mainstream society to be insignificant, or insurmountable. I am particularly passionate about uprooting the subtle, and yet pervasive, fear of mental illnesses and disabilities that is prevalent in today’s society. I believe that this fear is the underlying factor for many of the social and health trends that are present in America and other cultures. Through the activities of the Oasis of Opportunities, I hope to overcome the social and cultural glass boxes that are the labels, misconceptions, and stereotypes that confine and constrain many youth and animals to the margins of mainstream society. In addition to working with marginalized animals and youth, I hope the Oasis will be a place of community engagement and education. Several of my interest areas are: educating about the cycles of life in a wholesome, hands-on approach; researching innovative ways to grow produce and crops; and enabling all individuals to find their life passion, by giving them the opportunity to reach out and give back in meaningful ways. One of the ways I am currently synthesizing my experiences is through the creation of Kamiah’s Kool Vest, which is my innovative solution to heat stress in service dogs.

Come support Rebecka at the Boise State Ethos Project Symposium, March 14th, to learn more about her amazing service dog vest, and how this vest can lengthen the lives of these amazing animal.

Going through a college career can produce a whole bunch of stress. Cramming in time for homework, studying, a job, social life, and other relationships can have serious detrimental effects on one’s brain. If you are one that is struggling with this just know – you’re not alone. That is exactly what Zach Harbauer wants you to know. Zach is a psychology major here at Boise State that has seen the ways in which school negatively affects all of us. Zach is an advocate for the awareness of this mental epidemic and wants to end the negative stigma that is associated with feeling this certain way. Zach believes that by creating an atmosphere that allows a person to get help and not be ashamed of their perceived self, is the first step to take in order to end this plagued veil draped across campus.

Enough from me, lets hear from Zach himself: 

I am currently a sophomore at Boise State University majoring in Psychology and getting a minor in International Relations. For the majority of my teenage and adolescent years I was deeply involved with competitive debate and I was extremely successful, even competing at the collegiate level at Arizona State University. My original plan was to become an English teacher and coach high school debate but circumstances altered my course. I have found a new passion in psychology, focusing on helping those struggling with mental illnesses. My new goal is to become a clinical therapist and work with teenagers and adolescents with mental health problems. This year I started my first step towards this goal by becoming involved in an on campus group called “Tender Thoughts,” a mental health advocacy and support group. The people I have met through this group have radically changed my life, which has strengthened my resolve to someday be able to help people on a large scale. 

Come support Zach at the Boise State Ethos Project Symposium, March 14, to learn more about how we can come together and battle this mental struggle we all go through in life.

Have you ever felt stripped of your identity, voice, Ethos, because of a piece of clothing you were wearing? Oppression is a real thing that happens to everyone, it is not just based on your pigmentation. Our speaker Desiree, a linguistic/education major, has felt this turmoil, and it struck very close to her heart. Many people think it is just a certain few groups of foreigners that are harassed on campus, but what Desiree will tell us, is that cannot be further form the truth. Everyone is getting harassed and she intends to spread this awareness to eventually make it stop. Desiree believes that BSU can do a better job at attacking this problem; diversity should be higher on the list. With her 3-solution process, she intends to close the gap between clubs on campus and dissipate this disconnection between everyone that is very prominent. When told that this idea was going to be very tedious and most likely not work, Desiree said, “No. We are going to make this work.”

Let's hear from Desiree herself:

I grew up in the beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. Currently,I am a junior at Boise State, double majoring in Linguistics and English Education. I love to be highly involved on campus by being part of TRIO SSP, MSA, Boise State Refugee Alliance, and I am the president of Boise State’s Linguistics Association. Some of my hobbies are art, poetry, baking, and traveling. I was the former Rotary student ambassador in the Czech Republic in 2012-2013. “Service above self,” is the quote I like to live by, I am passionate about changing things for the better and helping others in need. Diversity is a big importance to me and this is what ultimately sparked my project for forming a new student diversity club on campus. Boise State is a fairly big school, it is not like being in high school were you know all your classmates and know everything that is going on. With being an English major at BSU I usually have the same classmates every semester and most of my classes are in the Education Building. I never know about other students with different majors and what they are working on. There is a little disconnection on campus and with the community. This is why I love the Ethos Project because you have students from different majors coming together to share their ideas and their projects that they have been working on. This also gives students a unique opportunity to finally have the right place and audience to listen to them. This is exactly BSU needs, because we have so many amazing students doing amazing things, and not all them get to be heard. This is why I am so happy and excited to be part of the Ethos Project.

Come support Desiree at the Boise State Ethos Project Symposium, March 14th, to learn more about her solution process and goals to rid this campus of oppression.

How can two perspectives come together to create beauty? Why don’t we ask our speaker team of Emilee and Scott? Together these two undergrads, a biology major and a photography major, are shedding a new light onto the greenhouses at Boise State University. With their collaboration, they create amazing images of flowers and plants that call the greenhouse their home. With the biological prowess of Emilee, and the artistic eye of Scott, together they convey plants in a way that is perceptible and brilliant, knowledgeable and elegant. Without each other’s knowledge and perspective, their work would not have the same feeling or structure. Together they show that there is something for everyone in the greenhouse, all we have to do is look closely.

Who is Emilee? Let her tell you:

“Am I the type of person who always plays it safe? Is this who I am going to be for the rest of my life? Am I ever going to take a risk that changes my destiny? Do birds know how to smile? Why is cake always so delicious? Will my drawings ever get any better?” These along with many other existential, Girl Meets World, questions I often consider. Currently I am on track to graduate in May with a BS in Biology with a botany emphasis. I spend a lot of time hiking with my dog and examining plants. I have served as a Boise State teaching greenhouse intern in 2015. I have a constant love for laughing, learning, and practicing yoga with my cat. I take each day head on with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a sense of adventure in the other. Aside from finding a job that allows myself to hike for a living (and hoping to perhaps one day be cool enough to be best friends with Mindy Kaling), my life goal is to make someone smile every day. I joined the Ethos project because I don't believe that your major is a defining factor of your limitations on campus and that everyone can benefit from a little more exposure to nature. 

Now, what about Scott? He tells us too:

I'm from a farm town near Portland, Oregon. The landscapes in Oregon made such an impression on me that I brought a camera with me anywhere I would explore. While attending Boise State University, I found so much beauty in the plants and projects surrounding Boise State's greenhouses. I started a fun photography project for myself that, together with Emilee Ayers, would fuse different academic disciplines into a creative, innovative, photography project! 

Come support Emilee and Scott at the Boise State Ethos Project Symposium, March 14, to learn more about the greenhouses, what’s inside them, and how we can see the beauty within everything. 

We have lift off! 

Welcome to the Ethos Project, PonyUp campaign! 

Check back during the 10 days of this campaign to receive insight into our 6 speakers that will be presenting at our event March 14th, in the Jordan Ballroom within the Student Union Building on the BSU campus! 

The Ethos Project team thanks you all in advance for your contributions to our cause! Every single dollar helps us reach our goal! Another way you can help us is by sharing our page to your family and friends, and give us a like on our Facebook page or you can follow us on Twitter! 

To learn more about the speakers and their topics, you can also follow the links above to our Facebook page and Twitter feed, where we will be posting articles and interesting relevant material.

To learn more about the Ethos Project, you can follow this link to our website! 

Again, we thank you for your generous donations! 

Let the voices be heard!