People die because their drinking water has shit in it.

Dirty water kills 5,000 children every day. Diarrhea is a leading cause of death in developing countries. Across the globe, 2.4 billion people are without access to basic sanitation.

I’ve spent the majority of my comfortable life oblivious to such alarming facts, so I don’t know what it takes to get people to really think about the water and sanitation needs of developing countries.

Regardless, I don’t want to write a column of despair, littered with statistics that depict a lost cause and clichés that reek of insincerity.

Instead, I want to tell you why I have hope.

Last week, OU hosted the International WaTER (Water Technologies for Emerging Regions) Conference. Our university hosted leaders from all over the world — inspirational change agents from a variety of backgrounds — all equally determined to make a difference.

Executives of the World Health Organization, the Millennium Water Alliance and the Center for Disease Control discussed the water and sanitation challenges in developing countries and how they are working to solve these problems.

One attendee, a writer, emphasized the role of communication in working on water and sanitation projects.

Engineers discussed building latrines and wells in remote villages.

An entrepreneur from Nigeria presented a speech on his small business, which takes carcasses from a slaughterhouse (rather than allowing them to contaminate a nearby water source) and converts the waste into biogas to be sold as cooking fuel.

Scientists delivered findings regarding the effectiveness of various water treatment practices.

An economist from the University of California, Berkeley explained her study on the role of social marketing in point-of-use water treatment products.

Brilliant, successful people, all with vastly different backgrounds, came together with the understanding that no single person has the solution. Instead, with collaboration and dedication, the water and sanitation problems of the world are solvable. This was the scene at the water conference last week.

In an environment in which so many people feel pressured to downplay their ambitions, it was uplifting to meet people who have the courage to dream big and to boldly say, “I’m going to change the world.”

Knowing that such wildly committed people are everywhere is what gives me hope.

Having met several dedicated college students, I have faith in our generation to lead the way. And having learned about OU’s WaTER Center, I am confident that our very own university will make an impact in developing countries.

In fact, several of our classmates are already doing their part to help the people who need it the most.

This is why I have hope that in the end, we will find a way to solve some of the biggest challenges in the world.

This is also why, for those of us who are constantly trying to figure out what to do with our lives, I have hope that we can find fulfilling careers. After seeing the passion and commitment of the people at the conference last week, I know it’s possible, if not easily attainable.

I have never been more convinced that true fulfillment can only come via positively affecting others, whether the impact is felt in Norman, Oklahoma or Nairobi, Kenya.

I have heard variations of the “do what you love” and “help others” career advice hundreds of times, but I finally feel like I figured it out. So I know, you probably didn’t need me to tell you.

There are thousands of students on campus who figured it out well before me. There are thousands of students on campus who are already determined to make a difference.

And that’s why I have hope.