Ashley Blanco – FSU graduate (B.S International Affairs ’23, Master of Public Administration ’24) – founded Bloom Together Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing clean water access and public health through sustainable, community-driven solutions.
Bloom Together Collective aims to address complex global challenges and break the cycle of poverty by focusing on the unique needs of each community it serves. The organization delivers solutions while fostering local opportunities for service, raising awareness, and encouraging a broader understanding of the world and our shared responsibilities.
Through the organization, Blanco has made a significant impact in African communities. On her first trip, she completed three projects: a menstrual hygiene project in Uganda, a vulnerable children project in Tanzania, and clean water project in Tanzania. These projects benefited around 400 individuals across various areas. She also conducted needs assessments with nonprofit organizations in Uganda and Zanzibar to plan future initiatives.
Blanco received a Master of Public Administration with a focus on International & Nongovernmental Organizations and a Certificate in Civic & Nonprofit Leadership from FSU. She credits her success to the skills she developed in the Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship class taught by Tracy Woodard, Ph.D., associate teaching professor of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at Florida State University.
“I wanted to thank Dr. Woodward for her inspiration and guidance throughout my development as a student at Florida State University,” Blanco said. “The knowledge I gained through her course has been extremely useful as I continue to utilize concepts learned throughout my endeavors.”
This March, the organization provided direct access to clean and safe water for over 1,000 residents in Chaani, Zanzibar, and will work with a local nonprofit organization to continue clean water projects and implement a volunteer program.
“I actually completed a project for Dr. Woodward’s course on the issues surrounding clean water in Africa – research that I still use today and fuels my desire to create innovative solutions,” Blanco said. “Specifically, the concept of ‘human-centered design approaches’ has been one of my biggest takeaways from her course, and I’ve learned firsthand just how crucial it is to ensure this is implemented in all the work I do.”
Bloom Together Collective recently open a menstrual hygiene center in Uganda, which employs local women to create reusable sanitary pads. These pads are then distributed to schools and villages based on needs assessments. This March 2025, five hundred pads were provided for women and schoolgirls in Uganda.
For more information about FSU’s Reubin O’D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, visit askew.fsu.edu. For more about FSU’s International Affairs program, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/internationalaffairs. And to learn more about Blanco’s organization, visit bloomtogethercollective.org.