My Story: My dad has been in jail off and on since I was born. The longest he’s been out is three months. I don’t even know what he’s in for. Although I don’t see him that often, I give him all the credit. He pushed upon me the importance of being educated and being aware locally and nationally.

I haven’t experienced racism on campus at all. Part of it is the environment I’ve been in — I’m an athlete. I played football and we’re treated differently. We get more respect. But also, there are two criteria for racism to exist: The person making the comments or gestures has to intend to do it, and the receiver has to be willing to accept that gesture or comment as racist. “Sticks and stones can break my bones” — that’s my attitude.

What We Want: We founded TEAM Jayhawks in response to the protests on campus. The other founders and I felt the activists were going about it in a disrespectful manner, and in a way the larger student body could not empathize with. For example, at a community forum hosted by the chancellor, members of a minority group, Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk, took the mike and started cussing her out. Now, Rock Chalk had been trying to push its demands for two years; they lashed out because nothing had been done. They were angry. I understand that. We stand in solidarity with other minority organizations on campus, but our methods are different.

Two friends and I are entrepreneurs, and a few months ago we did “Start Up Weekend.” We learned about a concept called design thinking, a human-centered approach to solving problems. We plan to have people gather around and come up with ideas on a topic we give them. From there, they’ll break into small groups, share their ideas and get feedback. Not only do you get insight and answers but a perspective you may not have had before. We don’t want to be called activists. We’re educators.