Meet Elizabeth Duhig | Student & Founder of The Ground Up Project

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Duhig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The Ground Up Project is not a business, but rather a humanitarian project that focuses on aiding others with the high living costs of San Diego along with other humanitarian crises around the world. My thought process of starting The Ground Up Project started when I was a child. Whenever I went out with my mother, I would often see people on the streets begging for money or people who were living in tents. I would always wonder what I could do to help them, and over the years I would think of ideas on how to do so. Throughout my life, I’ve had the privilege of never having to worry about having a roof over my head or food on the table, but I knew that for others living in San Diego that wasn’t the case. So in July 2023, I became a student at the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) by Plan USA. They gave me the guidance to put all the ideas I had accumulated over the years into motion via drives, collaborations, and events. Because of this, I am infinitely grateful to them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Something that sets The Ground Up Project apart from others is that The Ground Up Project is very sensitive to current events, and responds accordingly. For example, when Hurricane Hillary hit San Diego and the surrounding area, The Ground Up Project increased donations of blankets and rain gear to places in San Diego that were the most affected. Another thing that sets The Ground Up Project apart is that it is entirely student-led. At the beginning of The Ground Up Project, there were only high school students. Now, as of June 2024, a good chunk of our staff has graduated high school, so now we have both high school and college students. This was super neat to have because it highlighted the importance of giving the youth a voice, but it also presented itself with a few challenges. For one, at the beginning of the year, distributing donations had a few hiccups because very few of us could drive. Now,, we have designated staff who can distribute donations because of their driver’s license. As a student-led project, our entire staff board takes their academics very seriously, this meant that from mid-April to late May, The Ground Project’s activity had come to an almost complete stop because of AP testing, SAT/ACT testing, and upcoming finals. Starting The Ground Up Project was not easy, as I had to learn how to balance all of my extracurriculars along with The Ground Up Project, but I eventually created a system for myself. A lesson that I learned when I created The Ground Up project was the very useful skill of time management, as I had to balance a plethora of responsibilities concerning my extracurriculars, sports, academics, and socialization. Concerning The Ground Up Project, I would like the world to know the importance of selfless acts towards others and the importance of aiding others in dire situations, even if it may not benefit you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Where would I even begin? San Diego is such an amazing place with so many diverse options! If it were a week-long trip to San Diego I would want them to experience everything that San Diego has to offer! For the first day I would take them to Balboa park to go to the art museum, the air and space museum, the Japanese friends garden, and to overall enjoy the ambiance and energy that Balboa park has to offer. For dinner that night I would take them to the melting pot due to it’s gourmet experience (and it’s super tasty!!) For the second day I would take them to seaport village because of the fact that it’s a really nice spot to hangout in, and it’s very close to everything else! If the person wanted to venture out, they could explore the wonders of downtown San Diego, like the convention center! Then we would take the ferry to Coronado island and go explore Coronado hotel as well as swim in Coronado beach. On the third day I would take the person to either SeaWorld (if they like big rollercoasters) or Legoland (if they don’t). On the fourth day I would take them to the San Diego zoo because not only does it have incredible animal exhibits but it also has a beautiful botanical garden. On the fifth day I would take them to La Jolla and just explore all around La Jolla because of it’s beautiful coastal views and the contemporary art museum! Afterwards I would take the person to this mall called UTC to eat Hai Di Lao hotpot and to visit a bakery called 85C. On the sixth day I would take them to Scripps birch aquarium and afterwards go out to lunch/dinner to hangout and simply talk. On the seventh day before the person leaves San Diego I would take them to the Torrey Pines glide port because of the view of the coast that it offers.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out one of my best friends and the vice president for The Ground Up Project, Amanda. She is the most selfless, kind, and hardworking friend, she has helped me with The Ground Up Project since its commencement and has done so with immense grace. She has helped me sort through heaps of donations, reach out to other organizations, design our business cards, and helped me navigate the complex world of website design. Amanda is extremely helpful and efficient in everything she does. She also brings valuable ideas to The Ground Up Project and plays an integral role in putting them into motion. I would not be as successful in The Ground Up Project as I am now if it weren’t for her assistance. I am immensely grateful for her contributions to The Ground Up Project and our friendship.

Website: https://tgupsd.org

Instagram: @thegroundupprojectsd

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-duhig-450376300/