Elise Zeigler

Curiosity-driven, Elise Zeigler studies Social Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, and Refugee Migration, combining her love of culture, creativity, and community. Growing up alongside New-American refugee families in St. Louis inspired her passion for empathy-driven social entrepreneurship and community resilience. At 15, she launched Selah Textiles, a tea towel textile-printing social enterprise supporting under-resourced refugee young women and fostering creative community in her neighborhood. 

Her research and experiences have taken her to Amazon Indigenous villages, Greek refugee camps, and human trafficking rehabilitation centers, where she studied how social enterprises preserve culture and support communities affected by forced migration. She has also researched Sustainable Impact Investing Entrepreneurship under Dr. Rachida Justo at IE Madrid University and studied with St. Andrews University’s Refugee & Forced Migration Network. 

Elise is a Truman Fellowship Finalist and Ashoka Changemaker. Last summer she interned with the Global Flourishing Study led by Gallup, Harvard, and Baylor University. After graduation she dreams to start and consult social enterprises across the world.