Marta Shakhazizian
  • Lincoln University, PA

Marta Shakhazizian attends Clinton Global Initiative University

2013 Apr 10

Marta Shakhazizian, from Lincoln University, PA, was one of eight UD students and recent graduates who were selected to share their ideas at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), April 5-7, at Washington University in St. Louis.

The images in her photographic campaign are shocking. Her message is simple: "Junk kills. Eat responsibly." "Today, one in every three children in America is overweight or obese," says Marta Shakhazizian, the campaign's creator, an education major at the University of Delaware. "Even scarier, if left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the number-one leading cause of death in the U.S." With seed funding from the University's Institute for Global Studies (IGS), Shakhazizian is working to put her proposal for a healthy eating campaign in motion. She plans to start with the UD campus and then strengthen the campaign each year to eventually make a national impact. "In the midst of the obesity epidemic, my goal is to publicize the inescapable health problems we will face if we do not make a change," she says. "I hope to inspire adolescents to make healthier food choices, and, in effect, spread a message that is very dear to my heart."

UD?recently joined the network of more than 30 universities and colleges, founded by former President Bill Clinton to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses in solving world problems. More than 1,000 students from around the globe will meet to discuss their "Commitment to Action"?proposals and to formulate concrete plans for implementation.

For more information about the program, visit the CGI U website: http://www.cgiu.org