Habitat for Humanity

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Posted on February 24, 2014 by Beata Strubel

Michelle Obergfell is the current Vice President of Development for the Purdue University Habitat for Humanity Chapter. She is a sophomore in Chemical Engineering and joined Habitat her freshman year. In her current position, she is involved in grant writing, maintaining alumni relations, and overseeing the Publicity and Off-Campus Volunteer Outreach chairs. She is also part of the Honors College and is a teaching assistant for First Year Honors Engineering.

Did you have any building experience before you joined Habitat?
I first joined Habitat when I was a freshman, and I went on a lot of the construction builds on Saturdays. I had some experience working in a wood shop, and I always helped my dad around the house, but I had no idea how to build a house or anything that went with it. However, no experience was necessary! I was taught how to do everything I needed to do, such as putting in insulation in the attic and installing the roof of a house.

How did you become more involved in Habitat?

I become part of the Administration Board first semester of my sophomore year. I enjoyed getting to know all the Board members and really immersing myself in Habitat, so much so that I decided to run for the Executive Board. Now, I go on every Saturday construction build and keep learning new things each time!

I am also super excited for our biking fundraiser that is happening this summer, called Cover Indiana! I am going to be biking for a week around the state of Indiana to help raise awareness about Habitat.

What is your favorite part about Habitat?

My favorite part of Habitat is definitely going on the Saturday builds. I look forward to them all week! I love working with all the tools and building the house from scratch. I get to learn how a house is made and all the little details that go with it. And I always have a ton of fun! It's awesome to meet all the other students who come to the builds and getting to know the homeowners of the house.

What suggestions/advice do you have for someone considering joining?

If you are interested in joining Habitat I would suggest coming to a build. There is a $20 membership fee that covers the whole school year and helps pay for transportation to and from the build sites.

Also, if you like to bike, Habitat has many bike fundraisers such as Bucket 100 and Cover Indiana. Bucket 100 is a 120 mile bike ride from Purdue to I.U. that happens in the fall, and Cover Indiana is a week long, 380 mile bike ride during the summer.


Habitat for Humanity in action

Hanging out on the roof!

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