Fiora MacPherson '16 is a strong believer in the power of productive dialogue in critical social issues. At Brown, she has gotten involved in social change as a $ocial Classmates facilitator, a democracy coach for Generation Citizen, and the Director of Expansion for the Student Language Exchange. 

Q: What is your current involvement with social innovation?
A: I work as Director of Expansion at the Student Language Exchange. We are closing the nation's language gap to graduate college students who are culturally aware and globally engaged.

Q: What is the most important lesson you've learned since starting your venture?
A: People are everything. The entrepreneurship world is abound with stories of people who started multi-million dollar ventures from their dorm room. I don't believe them. Holing yourself up and sending out a million emails might create a ping in the virtual universe, but if you want to create real and sustainable change, you can't stagnate in your own thoughts. Change happens in the minds of others, in a mutual exchange of learning and inspiring.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to any college student thinking of becoming a "changemaker"? 
A: Wake up in the morning. Eat breakfast. Go to bed at night. And do things in between. It's too easy to be intimidated by that big hairy audacious goal and reach a state of paralysis. Big change happens in little increments. Really, all you've got to do is eat breakfast and start somewhere on that 3 page to-do list.

Q: What is your personal mission statement?
A: I wish I could say that I had one. I think my personal mission changes by the day. Really, it ought to be transitive so that I too can be open to the change I seek to make. Anything else would be hypocritical.

Q: What's one surprising fact people might not know about you?
A: My favourite items are things that are two things at once... okay that doesn't make sense, but my roommate bought me a tea-strainer in the shape of a manatee this week and I love it.

If you know a Brown student or alum who is making a difference on campus, in Providence, or around the world, nominate them here to see them featured as Changemaker of the Week.