A biology class volunteer opportunity was the springboard that launched Jennifer Sano into a life focused on sustainability and preservation of natural resources. She thrives on spreading her knowledge beyond the classroom, teaching future generations what she has learned in hopes of creating a sustainable future for all.

“My time at the University of Michigan-Dearborn has given me a chance to take my dreams and soar, but it has also helped me to learn the skills to take my knowledge and passion directly into the community to make a difference,” she says. “The education and mentoring I have received here have changed my life.”

Since that first biology class, Jennifer made the campus’s Environmental Interpretive Center a second home, indulging in volunteer opportunities like being a group leader for its programs such as maple syruping, honeybee observation, invasive species removal, field biology and ornithology. A founding member of U-M’s chapter of Roots and Shoots, she grew and distributed 350 sprouts of fruits and vegetables to students and community members for a sustainability week project.

Jennifer’s passion to save the planet goes beyond the scope of the campus. She’s involved with Forgotten Harvest food bank, Goodfellows food pantry, Bridging Communities, Mother Theresa Day of Service, Friends of the Rouge and is a founding member of Detroit Preserves.

“I have learned much from my chances to be a leader to my peers, children, and the community,” she says. “Leadership is a quality that comes from within and carries over into the rest of your life.”