Emma Staats, junior integrated studies major, is a volunteer coordinator for Bods Feeding Bods. Staats has been a volunteer coordinator for two years. Bods Feeding Bods is a food pantry on campus that provides nutritious food to any member of Washburn who might find themselves in need.

The grand re-opening will be at 3 p.m. Feb. 14 in Kuehne 101. Everyone in the Washburn community is welcome to join to learn about the pantry. People can have cookies, cocoa and a free T-shirt.

“We always have food in here and there’s always too much,” said Staats. “We are throwing away a ton of cans because they are outdating.”

Staats encourages everyone to utilize Bods Feeding Bods. She wants to break down the stigma of the food pantry so that everyone can go if they have a valid Washburn ID. A lot of students are in need of food, or sometimes can’t get to the stores because they don’t have the transportation.

Staats is taking part in different activities on campus. She is a student director for the Leadership Institute, and as a theater minor, she is a crew for “Chairs,” and she hopes to get into “Curtains,” a musical. She’s also a student worker at the theater department as well as a desk assistant for Residential Living at the Living Learning Center.

Staats has passion about policies with human rights issues. She wants to tackle the issue of human trafficking and she has done a lot of research and projects with Sharon Sullivan, chair of the theater department.

“I am taking sociology classes, communication classes and women and gender’s studies classes,” said Staats. “I am combining those because I want to do policies and advocacies around human rights.”

Staats is going to New York in March with Sullivan, who will bring a group of students to the Commission on the Status of Women, which is an opportunity to hear from people all around the world about women’s rights issues.

“She’s one of the most intelligent and passionate people that I’ve met,” said theater major Stormy Jakoby Lukasavage. “I feel like whatever she does, she’ll rule in it and be the standard to which others are held to in her field.”

Staats plans to graduate in December 2020. Her long-term goal is to work on international policies and human rights issues. She expects to work for the government or non-profit organizations.