Backpacks For Kids is a nonprofit organization on Colgate's campus that is trying to battle educational injustice faced by children. We do this by providing backpacks filled with school supplies, hygienic materials, and comfort materials. This organization was created through the help of Colgate's resource, like Thought Into Action (TIA) and through the passion and outrage that our founders, Colgate alumni felt. In our work, we aim to bring awareness to our organization and social injustice. We also hope to encourage students to do something about their social justice passions by providing them with examples and resources they can take advantage of on Colgate's campus.

Workshop Presenters

• Che Ku War Kyet (she/her/hers) is a senior majoring in molecular biology and minoring in sociology. She is from Utica, New York. She is a pre-med student. Kyet is chair of Backpacks for Kids, president of Colgate’s Crafter’s Club, a sport’s medicine assistant for the Colgate softball team and an OUS Scholar. Her future plans are to become a surgeon with hopes of taking those medical skills back to refugee camps in Thailand to help those in need.
• Taryn Lane (she/her/hers) is from Wellesley, MA and is part of the Colgate class of 2026. Taryn is on the pre-medical track, and also intends to major in political science. At Colgate, Taryn is a part of the Student Government Association as a student senator for the class of 2026, the co-director of fundraising for TIA non-profit Backpacks for Kids, as well as the director of academic excellence for the Zeta Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Outside of school, Taryn works with the Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnership programs to advocate for and research about more equitable behavioral health options for Boston students. Taryn plans to continue looking for opportunities that allow her to promote increased healthcare accessibility for all.
• Hannah Rogan (she/her/hers) is from Medfield, MA and is a part of the Colgate class of 2024. Hannah is a neuroscience major. Hannah's interests are in neurodegenerative disorders and chronic pain, the gut-brain axis, dogs, tea, traveling, and fun hats. Hannah was the former vice president of operations of Kappa Kappa Gamma, director of grants for BFK, a neuroscience tutor, a mentor for elementary schooler through the Sidekicks program. Hannah plans to do clinical research in the neuroscience field, pursuing an advanced degree, and traveling.
• Sydney Santiago (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Colgate University. She is from Bedford, NH and is majoring in molecular biology with a minor in sociology. She is interested in reproductive justice, immigration policies, and environmental justice, apsiring to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology as a physician’s assistant. Outside of the classroom, she serves as the secretary of Backpacks for Kids. Her commitment to women’s rights and reproductive justice advocacy is evident through her involvement in Planned Parenthood and North Broad Street Graduates—a female mentorship program for 5th grade girls.
• Kelly Cruz Ribeiro (she/her/hers) is a freshman at Colgate University. She comes from Lyndhurst, NJ and has an interest in majoring in psychology on a pre-law track. On the Colgate campus, she is the officer of outreach and recruitment at BFK, a member of OUS, a dancer on the Latin American Dance team, and a mentor for the America Reads program. Outside of school, she has served as an assistant for a family division court judge in New Jersey and as a secretary at a law firm focusing on medical malpractice. In the future, she plans on becoming an attorney with a concentration on immigration and family law.
• Emma Burdick (she/her/hers) is a junior at Colgate, studying neuroscience and biology. Emma grew up in a small town outside of Albany, NY called Averill Park where her family owns an ice cream shop. Emma hopes to attend medical school after she graduates and become an anesthesiologist or a neurologist. Due to her involvement in health and science related clubs on campus, she was introduced to and decided to join Backpacks for Kids and was chosen to be the vice chair of the organization.

View the 2024 Social Justice Summit schedule.