USD Student Leads Successful Campus-Wide Hygiene Drive

Jenisha Gurung, Miss Dakota Prairie 2026, partners with student organizations to collect over 100 hygiene items for local charity

Mar. 11, 2026 at 12:05am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Jenisha Gurung, a University of South Dakota student serving as Miss Dakota Prairie 2026, organized a campus-wide hygiene drive from February 5-27 to collect donations for Charlie's Cupboard, a local charity. Gurung collaborated with several student organizations, including the Asian Students in America club, She's the First, the Latin and Hispanic Student Organization, and the Black Student Union, to make the drive a success. A total of 101 hygiene items were collected across 13 different locations on USD's campus.

Why it matters

The hygiene drive aimed to build community, promote belonging, and support physical and mental health on campus. Gurung believes initiatives like this are important to educate and empower students to give back to their local community.

The details

As part of her pageant community service initiative 'Okk Period,' Gurung decided to start the hygiene drive to give back to the Vermillion community. She reached out to several student organizations she is involved with, including the Asian Students in America club, where she serves as president, and She's the First, where she is the Co-Director of Marketing. Gurung also collaborated with the Latin and Hispanic Student Organization and the Black Student Union to make the drive a success.

  • The hygiene drive ran from February 5-27, 2026.
  • Gurung is hosting another hygiene drive with Northern State University in Aberdeen from March 9-13, 2026.

The players

Jenisha Gurung

A University of South Dakota student serving as Miss Dakota Prairie 2026 who organized the campus-wide hygiene drive.

Asian Students in America

A student organization at the University of South Dakota that collaborated with Gurung on the hygiene drive.

She's the First

A student organization at the University of South Dakota where Gurung serves as the Co-Director of Marketing and collaborated on the hygiene drive.

Latin and Hispanic Student Organization (LaHSO)

A student organization at the University of South Dakota that collaborated with Gurung on the hygiene drive.

Black Student Union (BSU)

A student organization at the University of South Dakota that collaborated with Gurung on the hygiene drive.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I've always wanted to do a campus wide hygiene drive to give back to my community, the Vermillion community, and I thought of clubs that, hopefully, would support me.”

— Jenisha Gurung, Miss Dakota Prairie 2026

“It's super important because sometimes we forget the beauty of community and how much it emphasizes belonging. When you find your people, it helps you with your mental health, it helps you with your physical health, so there's so many benefits to building community.”

— Jenisha Gurung, Miss Dakota Prairie 2026

“I don't expose them to mental health, but I do expose them to physical health. We need to start somewhere to achieve our ending goal of educating others about health. So before you advocate, you must educate, so that's why everything goes with each other.”

— Jenisha Gurung, Miss Dakota Prairie 2026

What’s next

Gurung is hosting another hygiene drive with Northern State University in Aberdeen from March 9-13, 2026, and hopes to continue collaborating with the student organizations to make the drive an annual event that can 'go bigger and better' in the future.

The takeaway

This successful hygiene drive demonstrates the power of community collaboration and student leadership to make a positive impact on campus and in the local Vermillion area. Gurung's initiative to educate and empower her peers to give back is an inspiring example of how students can use their platforms to address important issues and support those in need.