When you think of a changemaker, what do you think of? Chances are, there are more than just a few representations of what an individual creating change may look or be like. Many may think of an individual with a degree in social work, a burning passion for the Earth, or a Nobel peace prize winner, but a changemaker can be anyone. Moreover, several levels of change are represented from the microscopic or community level to the national level and beyond. However, as many might expect, change is not always a heavily concentrated effort to eradicate an issue. It is a range of progressive small ones that strive to provide a society and community in which people may thrive.
Robert Lopez, a senior at the University of Evansville, was just a high school student five and a half years ago when he committed to a project that changed the trajectory of his life. The Toyota Trinity StormWater Park Project started out as a spitballing of ideas back and forth. Growing to be much more, Robert’s project is now a collaboration between the City of Evansville, the University of Evansville Center for Innovation and Change, the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility, and Toyota. Soon to be the city’s largest green infrastructure, the Stormwater Park Project will allow for the diversion of millions of gallons of sewage overflow away from the Ohio River. The below-ground construction will divert 25 acres of downtown stormwater runoff from the sewer system to prevent sewage overflow into the Ohio River. The goal is to preserve historical relics like the Trinity Catholic Church and incorporate them into an urban garden that will be shared with the community. The main components driving this project were a vision, a love for the environment, and the courage to lead.
Robert, the individual behind the project, has been working on directing and fulfilling his vision since his junior year of high school. His first introduction started at his high school when he decided to join the High School Changemaker Project. Robert and his classmate, Caro Haynie, pitched the project during the Changemaker Challenge. Mike Labitzke, the former lead project director for the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility, served as Robert’s change lab coach, and the initial concept of a park on top of water filtration was presented to Robert’s AP Biology class at Bosse High School. That’s where Robert was able to take off.
First, the buildings at the park’s site were demolished to be incorporated into the park’s design. Next, the park’s construction was facilitated to promote infiltration into the sand and gravel layers below the ground. The next phase is to finalize the design, construct the top-side amenities, and design some of the wellness projects offered. However, this project is far more than a series of construction steps. The project is a true exemplar of the human aspect of social change. Robert placed considerable emphasis on the humanistic aspect of his project. He wanted to hear what the people wanted, and the people aspect came over the project side. His goal was to set the standard for people to think they could create projects and work on financially feasible green solutions to help people surrounded by the projects.
As many might expect the individual behind a brilliant project might be, Robert was not at the top of his class. As a matter of fact, when he started the project, he never cared about school, so he never put effort into doing well, which was reflected in the outcome of his grades. And, expectedly, Robert never thought about going to college. When someone may have asked him what he thought he’d be doing in a few years, his expectation was a 9 to 5. As a high schooler, he hated public speaking. When the teacher would ask a question, his first reaction was to look away. Simply put, he had a fear of being heard. It wasn’t until he joined the High School Changemaker Challenge that everything changed. Erin Lewis, the director of the Center for Innovation and Change who served as a mentor for him, aided in changing his future plans. Robert stated, “if Erin had never popped into that class, I would never have learned about the high school changemaker challenge, the idea, or continued to pursue it as much as I have.” And in terms of public speaking, once his project began to progress, he went from barely speaking in a classroom to reciting a rehearsed, fully formed presentation in front of the mayor, president of the university, and representatives from Toyota. He has always found it challenging to have a voice in a room full of people with a fully formed idea of who they were. However, this is a feeling he strives to overcome through his work.
Robert’s vision started with a few sketches on a whiteboard and turned into a 3-D walkthrough with the mayor of Evansville. Although he was a high school kid with little idea about his future or the education he wanted to pursue, he knew that he cared. That was far more than enough for him to launch the Toyota Trinity StormWater Park Project. Robert isn’t an industrial planner and never knew what project management was until he came to UE. Still, the motivation for pursuing the project instilled itself in him when he was a junior in high school. Like many other individuals, he had dreams of being able to change the city or do things for those around him at a scale people daydream about. Luckily, he could make those dreams a reality through people like Erin Lewis( P.S. You may or may not be hearing from her soon), Mike Labitzke, and his mom, who taught him how to be kind. Growing up at a public high school on the lower end of the funding spectrum, surrounded by people of different colors, backgrounds, and religions, prepared him to excel in the project space. He interacted and formed connections with a growing variety of individuals(City officials to teachers to people owning local businesses to learn what they wanted to see from the project). His background and the people residing in it shaped his transition into fulfilling his goals.
As a last thought, Robert shared one thing that stood out most to me. He stated, “I want people to see that the project wasn’t done by someone at the top of their class with a 4.0 GPA. I’m not a STEM major or engineer, but I’m somebody who cares a lot, and the only reason the project happened the way it happened is because of all the people that cared a lot.”
When you go on to pursue projects you believe can make a change, find something you truly care a lot about. That is something every changemaker shares with one another, their passion for their cause. I hope you find that passion that may drive you to become a changemaker and do amazing things, just like Robert Lopez.
Stay updated to hear about Erin Lewis, University of Evansville’s director for innovation and change, who leads amazing changemakers like Robert. If you’d like to learn more about the Toyota Trinity Stormwater Park Project, click the link below.
https://www.evansville.edu/centerforinnovation/articleDetail.cfm?articleId=1960
Rising Echo 