WMU announces second 2025 cohort of Experience-Driven Learning Venture Grants

Organizers say the “You Belong Here” event, held Oct. 24 in partnership with Bronson Healthcare and the Northside Association for Community Development, was the first student-led event of its kind. As part of the event, health care providers worked with students to perform comprehensive wellness assessments and give recommendations to patients in need—without requiring a prescription, medical necessity or insurance. 

“By leveraging the expertise of established community partners, this project provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for students while delivering accessible health services to the public through a preventative lens,” says Azalia Gonzalez, the project lead and a faculty specialist in Western’s Department of Occupational Therapy. 

The project is among a second cohort of 2025 Experience-Driven Learning Venture Grant recipients. This cohort comprises four projects—led by faculty across four different colleges—that address challenges ranging from sustainability to affordable housing to inclusive health care practices. They include: 

“The Experience-Driven Learning Venture Grant recipients provide our Broncos with meaningful, resume-worthy opportunities that prepare them for success,” says Dr. Chris Cheatham, WMU’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. 

These grants enhance Western’s efforts to ensure every Bronco is engaged in Experience-Driven Learning. Through this approach, students get opportunities to develop their creative thinking and problem-solving skills, shape their professional purpose and network, and connect theory and practice as they embark on their careers. 

“Participating in this project affirmed that I want to pursue occupational therapy as a career,” says Ambrosia. “There were many areas of the profession that I have never been exposed to before, and preparing for this event provided me with that opportunity.” 

“This is exactly what the Venture Grants are all about: They serve as a launchpad for faculty- and staff-led programs that empower students to apply their classroom knowledge to relevant experiences,” Cheatham says. “We congratulate the Venture Grant recipients and thank them for providing incredible opportunities for our Broncos.” 

Inspiring sustainable solutions 

Even the smallest changes have the potential to make a big impact. Students will have the opportunity to quantify that impact through a sustainability practicum with the city of Kalamazoo. 

The project, which launches in summer 2026 under the leadership of Dr. Kate Martini, assistant professor of psychology, will expand research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to employ behavioral approaches to solving sustainability issues within organizations. The grant will fund a new practicum site in partnership with the city to develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Creating an ongoing partnership with a site that will serve as a setting for meaningful research and practical experience will set our program apart in our field while providing students with beneficial tools and resources,” Martini says. 

Students will gain career-defining experience through municipal sustainability planning and implementation, completing projects with measurable outcomes for city partners and creating and implementing environmental solutions to mitigate impacts of climate change.