**Yaneli Avila**
_One Mizzou, one event at a time_

One of MU’s values is its diversity; we’ve got Tigers of all stripes. And what better way to learn about each other’s rich and varied backgrounds than attending an event hosted by the Multicultural Center?

Not only will you learn about other religions and cultures, you might also run into Yaneli Avila. Avila is a student assistant and a member of the center’s leadership team. She helps plan events every month. Last month, the Kansas City native played a key role in the center’s Mardi Gras party and educating attendees on Lent.

“(I love) the diversity of it,” Avila says of the center. “People come from all over.”

The senior interior design major has been involved with the MCC throughout her time at MU.

Avila says she enjoys the education aspect of the events.

“I love when people come to events and leave knowing a little bit more about (their classmates’ culture),” she says.

**Crystal Midkiff**
_A passion for fair trade_

As executive director of Mustard Seed Fair Trade, a local fair trade store, Crystal Midkiff coordinates purchases from communities across the globe.

The items Mustard Seed sells provide wages to artisans in developing countries.

“Those wages help bring about education and empower workers across the world,” Midkiff says. “Seventy-five percent of those workers are women.”

For Midkiff, fair trade is a way to give women power in their communities because it gives them some control over the purse strings.

Midkiff’s passion for fair trade is rooted in her Columbia Public Schools education.

“I had teachers who inspired me to make the world a better place,” she says.

That betterment started at home. Born and raised in Columbia, Midkiff was “instilled with a hometown pride.”

“Everyone is interested in searching in another city or country (to start a business),” Midkiff says. “Why not start here?”