Marketing sophomore Ryan Hagan has a vision that expands beyond his exams or future housing assignments. While many college sophomores are searching for roommates and online flashcards, Hagan is on the hunt for his next opportunity to change the world.
Hagan and his friend JR Wuo, a senior at Trine University, are the co-founders of World United Organization. The nonprofit seeks out the world’s solvable problems, raises awareness and attempts to solve them.
According to Hagan, World United Organization, or W.U.O., is his way to pursue his dream of improving the lives of the less fortunate.
W.U.O. Wear is a clothing line Hagan and Wuo created in high school, and served as the gateway to launching World United Organization.
“My goal in life is to change the world, and W.U.O. Wear and (World United Organization) makes that possible,” he said.
When the first W.U.O. Wear T-shirt was made, Wuo said he didn’t anticipate the success it would bring.
“(W.U.O. Wear) started off as a joke, because my last name is Wuo,” he said. “We joked around about starting a clothing line — with no intent of actually doing it.”
Wuo had his ‘aha’ moment while watching a special on families affected by AIDS.
“I thought, ‘I wish there was something I could do about this,’” Wuo said.
During their junior year of high school, Hagan said, the pair sold $4,000 worth of W.U.O. Wear T-shirts and doubled that amount their senior year.
Before Hagan transferred to MSU, he and Wuo began going through the motions to found World United Organization.
Both freshmen were unexperienced in business and Hagan said that was the hardest part of getting their organization up and running.
“It helped me realize there’s a lot of detail in the business world,” he said.
Since forming the nonprofit, Hagan has left Trine University and expanded World United Organization to MSU students.
When it comes to business, Hagan said moving to a larger university has helped the organization gain momentum.
“(W.U.O.) has expanded because I’ve been able to meet more people and do more things,” he said.
So far, Hagan has sold about 50 W.U.O. Wear shirts in 2012. All proceeds raised have been set aside for Hagan and Wuo’s upcoming trip to Africa, planned for Dec. 20.
The humanitarians have organized a trip to the Ghaban village in Africa to install a state-of-the-art water purifier that would provide villagers with clean and accessible water.
While in Africa, Hagan said he and Wuo will carefully observe their surroundings and plan other ways to benefit the village.
“Our long-term goals (are) to build a school in the village and have money flow through the village,” Hagan said. “We’re going to decide that once we get over there.”
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Hagan and Wuo have been well received by fellow students so far, said Trine junior Meredith Beer, a friend of both Wuo and Hagan.
“At school, I think people take them very seriously,” she said. “A lot of people want their shirts. I haven’t really experienced them much outside of my school but I’m sure people take them pretty seriously.”
