Award-winning product designer and social entrepreneur Veronika Scott will speak in
Ferris State University's University Center Ballroom on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:30
p.m. Scott is CEO of a Detroit-based nonprofit that creates jobs for homeless women.A Michigan native hailed as a 2016 “CNN Hero” will speak in Ferris State University’s University Center Ballroom Thursday, Oct. 10, as Veronika Scott addresses her efforts in product design and social justice during a 7:30 p.m. event.
Humanities Professor Neil Patten, with the university’s Arts and Lectures Committee, said the presentation is free and open to the public. Special invitations were made to students in the Political Engagement Project and those pursuing Product Design Engineering Technology and Social Work degrees.
“Our committee has also alerted high schools in the area and the Honors program here on campus,” Patten said. “We believe Veronika’s message will make this a very special event.”
Scott, a graduate of the College of Creative Studies, in Detroit, created a heat-trapping jacket that would convert into a warm, weather-resistant sleeping bag. That response to a class assignment evolved into the creation of her nonprofit organization, the Empowerment Plan. It provides job training to homeless women, so that they might find steady employment, suitable housing and the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty. Scott received the IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Design Society of America in 2011, and the JFK New Frontier Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, in 2012, which made her the youngest ever to receive that honor.
Those with disabilities who wish to attend are welcome to contact Patten by email or calling (231) 591-3626 at least 72 hours before this event.