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STRIVR: Give A Little, Get A Lot

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Julia Troost
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Elise Chaffiotte
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Scranton chapter.

Every day, college students are looking for ways to make their hectic lives just a bit easier. Well search no more, because a fellow college student has found (and created) the answer: STRIVR. This new app will make everyone’s lives simpler, with just a click of a button.

In November of 2014, the new app STRIVR was created and released to the public. It primarily served the Lehigh University community, being that the apps twenty-one-year-old founder and CEO Zach Gray is a Mountain Hawk himself. STRIVR is a new way to connect with your friends and those in your community whenever you want for whatever you need.  

For example, let’s say it’s snowing outside, big surprise in Scranton, and you don’t want to walk to campus. At the same time, you feel bad asking one of your roommates to pull herself away from their Netflix marathon to drive you. The solution is simple: STRIVR. Just open up the app and add a new question under ‘Rides’. You type in your request, the time span that it will last, and any other details.  Within seconds, you’ll have responses from other students at the University of Scranton offering you a ride to campus. And may I remind you that this took all of three minutes. STRIVR isn’t just for rides though; you can ask random questions, for a phone charger or headphones in the library when you forgot yours, help with homework, restaurant recommendations, and the list goes on.

There are so many more features of this app that make it so unique and helpful. Some of these include your “Inner Circle” which gives you the ability to connect with your closest friends, and you can also earn points based on how many people you help! We all know how annoying it is when you ask a question in your group chat and your phone is buzzing and ringing non-stop for the next twenty minutes.  The beauty of STRIVR is that you only receive notifications that are relevant to you. 

Having had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gray, I was able to learn more about him and the future plans for STRIVR. Zach Gray created this app following a baseball injury, forcing him to use his free time toward something else. He took a not so great situation and used it to create something huge! As mentioned earlier, STRIVR was started at Lehigh University. Now, Zach plans on expanding it further to schools such as the University of Scranton, the University of Delaware, and Villanova University. Because the app is still in it’s early stages, he wants to make sure everything is working out as planned.

I think we all owe Zach Gray a big thank you for making all of our lives a bit easier. Not only does this app make life more efficient, but it’s also a great way to communicate with new people and to lend a hand to others. I think this app embodies the phrase “paying it forward”. You suggest the best Anatomy teacher on campus, and then someone tells you what the lunch is that day in upstairs DeNaples.  Although they may be small acts, they definitely go a long way.

The simplest way to understand STRIVR, and to realize how great it is, is to download this free app yourself (available for iPhone and iPad)! You can also learn more about it through the app’s Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr account. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Julia Troost is a born and raised New Yorker, which comes as no shock once you hear her accent. She is a current senior at the University of Scranton majoring in Occupational Therapy with a minor in Psychology. Having a love for writing and fashion from a young age, HerScranton allows Julia to take a break from the sciences and embody her inner Carrie Bradshaw (circa late 2004). You’ll never see her without a smile on her face or yelling at people to “be optimistic!” Julia looks forward to completing her clinicals at prestigious NYC hospitals, and ultimately working with war veterans.
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Elise is a Jersey girl who loves to travel the world, she enjoys keeping up with the latest fashion trends and believes an Instagram a day keeps the doctor away. She is a senior at the University of Scranton majoring in Strategic Communication with a minor in Writing. Elise is the Campus Correspondent of Her Campus Scranton, which she co-founded in September 2014 with her best friend Samantha (every brunette needs a blonde right?) This past summer she interned in Public Relations at The Thomas Collective, a boutique lifestyle agency in New York City. When her toes are not in the sand, she’s hailing a cab or packing her bags ready to jet set anywhere and everywhere. Fun Fact: Elise is a member of Scranton’s Equestrian team. Follow her on Instagram @liseyleelee and on Twitter @eliseteresa!