2024 Capstone Winners Connect UM Students with Youth in Foster System

seven university students smiling in front of a "go griz" sign with their graduation cords — From top left to bottom right: Carly Cushman, Keeza Leavens, Gavin Mikes, Olivia King, Miya Ensley, Ashlin Slanger, and Haley Yarborough with graduation cords.

"The prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents is at an all-time high... Physical activity has been shown to alleviate symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression disorders... To address these challenges, our team created the C.U.B.S. club program at the University of Montana to provide organized physical activities for disadvantaged adolescents in group homes."

Every year, GLI Capstone Teams work to address complex, global challenges in small, interdisciplinary teams. We are incredibly proud of the work each of our teams completes every year.

This year, the winning capstone team was "Bridging the Physical Divide: The Effects of Physical Activity on Mental Health Among Adolescents" which created a club called C.U.B.S. that connects youth in the foster care system with University of Montana students.

Read their abstract on scholarworks and check out their C.U.B.S. website and Instagram to learn more and get involved!