This blog is penned by Amber Obermaier and Jorja Whyte.
On April 9th, students, basic needs professionals, and interested stakeholders from 13 colleges and six organizations gathered together at the first ever Colorado Higher Education Basic Needs Summit. The idea of the summit first arose when we, Amber, the leader of a campus group called the Food Security Advisory Council, and Jorja, the director of Basic Needs with the Associated Students of Colorado State University, saw the lack of conversation and collaboration among students doing basic needs work across the state of Colorado. However, the summit did not come from just our vision. It came from a shared sense that things need to change. That the way we approach food and housing insecurity in higher education has to start with the people directly impacted. And that students deserve to be not just at the table, but shaping the entire conversation.
If we are being honest, when the idea for this summit first came up—after attending a CSU-wide World Café hosted by our basic needs program managers, Mike and Kathryn—it felt a little far-fetched. Like a “maybe someday” idea. The truth is, we don’t always believe we can turn our ideas into action. Especially as young people, it can feel like the problems are too big or the systems are too far out of reach. But today is a reminder that when we work together, when we center our lived experiences, and when we speak with clarity and courage—we can make change happen.
We designed this summit around three key goals: Facilitating collaboration among students and professional staff to share best practices and initiatives addressing basic needs, amplifying student voice, and beginning to develop a comprehensive, statewide plan to align advocacy efforts. Throughout the day we heard from experts in breakout sessions, learned how to effectively change policy, and participated in a statewide advocacy plan brainstorming session.
But more than anything, we wanted to create a space where students aren’t just included but one where they’re leading the conversation.

Because we’re not just passive recipients of food and housing insecurity statistics—we are experts in our own lives. And that expertise matters. Our voices matter. Our actions matter. This action flourishes in collaboration with one another, seeing that our tireless day to day work does not exist in a vacuum, that there are so many other people dedicated to improving the basic needs of students. This summit was not just about what happened in the room that day but about building relationships that carry beyond the event. We hope to take the momentum from the summit to continue improving collaboration at the state level, because basic needs work is better together.

Amber Obermaier is a Ph.D. student and graduate teaching instructor in the Sociology Department at Colorado State University. Her research surrounds food insecurity and environmental justice and she is currently preparing her dissertation on college student food insecurity within Colorado. She was a member of the 2024-2025 Student Leadership and Advisory Council with Swipe Out Hunger and advocates for college student basic needs. You can reach her at [email protected].

Jorja Whyte is a changemaker and policy advocate focused on housing justice, youth leadership, and systems transformation. A recent graduate of Colorado State University with degrees in Sociology and Psychology, Jorja served as Director of Basic Needs for the Associated Students of CSU, where she founded and led Colorado’s first Higher Education Basic Needs Summit to address food and housing insecurity. Her leadership extends to the City of Fort Collins Affordable Housing Advisory Board and Housing Colorado, where she worked on statewide land use research and zoning reform. A 2021 Boettcher Scholar, Jorja’s work bridges youth advocacy with policy at both state and local levels. This summer, she is leading the Colorado Youth Engagement Collective (CYEC) Internship, mentoring emerging leaders in housing and community development.