How did you choose your topic? (OR: Why was this topic important to you?)
One person can make a difference. I have always believed that it was true - that each person can make the world a better place. But I have always felt a little powerless to affect truly global change. How can I, as one person in one place, make the entire world better? There are so many problems in the world today: war, famine, HIV/AIDS, injustice and poverty (to name only a very few). How can I solve any of them? When I found the ColaLife campaign, brainchild of Simon Berry (SEE NOTE BELOW), I found an answer. It is possible to use our power as consumers by urging global companies to use their power to make global change. It is something we can all do - demand global solutions.

Dehydration is such a devastating killer because it is so easily treatable. With a little salt, sugar and water, a child can be cured and each year millions of children worldwide could be saved. As one person, providing this knowledge and raw materials to the people who need it most is a daunting task. With the power of global corporations, it could be possible.

Before this contest, did you consider yourself fairly knowledgeable about global issues? Has this contest opened your eyes in any way?
I have always been interested in global issues, so I do my best to be as knowledgeable as possible. The problem of dehydration and the power of rehydration salts were issues I knew about. However, Simon Berry's idea to use Coca-Cola's distribution channels was something I discovered only when I began to do research. I want as many people as possible to have their eyes opened, like mine were, to the possibility of global change, one person at a time.

Did you have any weird, funny, horrible, or in some ways memorable moments during the making of this film for the contest?
I decided to work on the movie in a computer lab on my university's campus. That would have been fine, if I had realized the computers automatically log off and delete all saved data after ten minutes of inactivity. I went to get a sandwich, chatted a little bit with the cashier, and came back to a blank computer screen. All my work, nearly three hours worth, was lost. On the bright side, the sandwich was delicious.

Anything else you'd like the viewers to know?
Go to CokeSumbit.com and make your voice heard. Go to ColaLife.com and get involved with the campaign. You have the power. Use it.

NOTE FROM ABOVE:
I want to make this explicitly clear: using coca-cola's distribution to get rehydration salts to the developed world was not my idea. It is the idea of Simon Berry, former charity worker. This idea was featured on his blog whose contents are licences under a Creative Commons Licence. Under this license, derivative works are permitted. My intention was to derive from his idea a call to action. This call to action is intended to promote the concept of his ColaLife campaign, but also to empower individuals. It is hard to feel like we can make a difference, but I hope to, in deriving this video from Berry's original idea, remind people the power of action.