Welcome to my GCSP Portolio! My name is Kaleigh Johnson and I am in the process of completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering (graduating in May of 2017).

The Grand Challenge Scholars Program has been an invaluable part of my undergraduate degree. When I was first accepted to ASU, I wasn’t completely sure that engineering was the right choice for me. My interest spanned far beyond the physical sciences and included global politics, entrepreneurship, and a service-oriented career. When I received an invitation to apply for the GCSP, I was drawn to the program as it enveloped everything I wanted to do throughout my career.

Overall, this program has been an amazing experience for me, as it has helped me to go beyond my engineering degree and become an extremely well-rounded, and well-qualified engineer. I have utilized the resources available to me through the program to gain funding for my research, secure scholarships, and travel to the U.K. to learn about Climate Change. In addition, I was recently given the opportunity to travel to Beijing, China to meet other students and engineers involved in the program. GCSP is an exciting program that challenges me to be involved in entrepreneurship, service learning, research, interdisciplinary coursework, and global experiences, while relating all of these experiences back to my efforts to solve a global challenge and progress the field of sustainability. Put simply, it has given me an incredible way to tie together many varied experiences into one complete, unified portfolio that proves that I am attempting to tackle global challenges, and striving to become qualified to do so.

Completing this program has helped me to discover my passion for sustainability, and gain many incredible experiences along the way. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey as a Grand Challenge Scholar!