Class of: 2017

Major: Sociology with minors in SISE and Spanish

Meet Sam Dietz, our newest P+P winner.  Not only does she kick butt in karate, but she challenges students around Tulane’s campus to reduce their carbon footprint one step at a time.  I recently wrote a post on the Small Steps, Big Wins Challenge; but read on to find out more from Sam herself about what the challenge is and how you can get involved!

What venture are you currently working on and how did it get started?

The venture I am currently working on is the Small Steps, Big Wins Challenge. This is an initiative started by Net Impact and it is in the third year. Universities from across the country and even internationally are involved! I got involved the fall semester of my freshman year when a CELT fellow spoke to my Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship class. I became the Tulane Campus Director in January 2014.

What does Small Steps do?

The Small Steps, Big Wins Challenge is a competition for undergrads seeking to tackle our world’s social and environmental challenges one step at a time. The challenge runs twice every school year: once throughout fall semester and once throughout spring semester! (This semester’s challenge runs from 9/29 through 12/7). Students log their positive actions via an interactive and social website, track their impact (see how much C02 you reduce and how much money you save), earn donations for nonprofits, and win prizes along the way. This is a great way to become aware of the impact your daily actions have on the world around you. When everyone takes positive small steps, together we make a huge impact!

The Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge is an initiative of Net Impact, a community of more than 50,000 changemakers who are using their business skills to work for good throughout every sector – showing the world that it’s possible to make a net impact that benefits not just the bottom line, but people and planet, too.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced since starting at Small Steps?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced when I became the Campus Director for the Small Steps, Big Wins Challenge was learning how to keep Tulane small steppers continuously engaged: instead of signing up and doing nothing else, small steppers would sign up and record actions daily or weekly!

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to any college student thinking of becoming a “changemaker”?

Thoughtfulness will put you on the path to success. Alleviating difficult problems and creating change will take time, but never lose sight of your passion and vision.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting at Small Steps?

For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to make a positive impact on the world. I am passionate about creating positive change, and, broadly speaking, am interested in tackling problems related to youth and the environment. In high school, I worked with nonprofits and startups, and led school clubs and initiatives of my own. My freshman year of college allowed me to make strides in advancing these career goals and lifetime dreams: my interest in social entrepreneurship and my dream of creating positive change in the world. In the spring, I participated in the Changemaker Institute. This gave me the opportunity to explore my social venture ideas further and really see what it takes to start a social venture. I also attended the Ashoka U Exchange in February, where I was energized by social entrepreneurs from across the globe. Over the summer, I participated in a month-long professional development program called the Social Innovation Program (SIP) at George Mason University. I was a mentee/student, a pro-bono consultant, and a social entrepreneur. Anyway, there’s always a moral to the story, right? The most important lesson I learned from all of this was that the first idea isn’t always the best idea, and that you can’t start with the solution- you must begin with the problem and its root causes.

What is your personal mission statement?

Be kind and stay true to myself.

What quote do you live by?

“Soak it all in.” My parents told me this before my trip to Israel in summer 2011. To me, it means stepping back from the busyness of everyday life to appreciate the world around me. This is a great way to stay focused and grounded, and reminds me that life goes by in a flash and that I have so much to be thankful for.

What’s one surprising fact people might not know about you?

If you don’t know me, you may be surprised to learn that I have been doing karate since age 3 and am a Black Belt! Karate has played a large role in my life- it took me more than 13 years to earn my black belt. Karate has provided an incredible platform for building confidence, developing leadership skills, and shaping a healthy lifestyle. In today’s world of instant gratification, most people don’t make time for these life-long commitments. I was only the 38th black belt candidate in twenty years at my studio, and one of the few females.