Leah Esslinger, Schoolcraft College

Leah Esslinger works to both humanize and aid those affected by extreme poverty. Her most important work is the Detroit Project, which she co-founded in the fall of 2012 to educate and activate student volunteers on local social issues.  She works with the small-scale service organization Burners without Boarders, passing out backpacks filled with supplies to the homeless of Detroit. Leah has led groups of students to St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, where she organized a Halloween party for homeless youth. She is also committed weekly to mentoring low-income Detroit school children. Her efforts also include collaboration with Focus Hope, where she mobilized fellow students to participate in food delivery to the elderly.