Connection and Self-Understanding
I decided to pursue the I&E certificate because I have always been in awe of how many academic disciplines innovation and entrepreneurship can reach. I’ve come to understand that innovation and entrepreneurship don’t solely rely on business operations but incorporate the arts, sciences, technology, public health, policy, and more as well. I believe that the combination of these various disciplines enables people to find solutions to problems more effectively using multiple perspectives instead of just one. I’ve had the opportunity to test this theory throughout my coursework and certificate internship experiences.
The I&E courses that I’ve taken thus far have all inspired me to discover my own path in which I can make an impact to improve society. Whether the impact originates from my interests in public policy or global health, I plan to use the skillsets I’ve learned in innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve my goals in the future. I value that the skillsets that I’ve acquired through this certificate experience can be applied to anything that I decide to pursue. For instance, I’ve learned the importance of asking questions, being observant when identifying opportunities in the market, working effectively on a team with diverse backgrounds, assessing the validity of an idea with consumer input, and utilizing a human-centered design framework when trying to help a target audience. Even though I currently don’t have plans to become an entrepreneur, these skills will be essential to any career I choose. If it so happens that an opportunity arises, and I choose the entrepreneur lifestyle, then this certificate program has prepared me to do such work.
The innovative and entrepreneurial framework of knowledge that I have learned has complimented my time at Duke and helped shape my career path by enabling me to see the world in a new light. Many of the I&E courses that I have taken involved consulting for different nonprofits from around the world. These experiential learning courses allowed me to develop a global perspective and helped me realize my passion for social impact consulting.
The pathway that I chose to explore was Social Innovation & Policy. For the most part, my certificate pathway did not change much since my first-year at Duke. I primarily focused on promoting the development of new and better ways to address social problems throughout my pathway experience. For instance, I have done this through a company called GreenLight Fund Detroit, which is all about addressing the major social problems their community faces. When I was working alongside the GreenLight team, they were bringing in programs to increase teacher retention, which would provide students with a stable education; and help released convicted felons get back on their feet through career-focused programs. Through this experience, I was able to provide GreenLight Fund with recommendations to help them better communicate their impact to the broader community in efforts to bring in more contributions for their community-driven programs.
The I&E courses that I’ve taken thus far have all inspired me to discover my own path in which I can make an impact to improve society. Whether the impact originates from my interests in public policy or global health, I plan to use the skillsets I’ve learned in innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve my goals in the future. I value that the skillsets that I’ve acquired through this certificate experience can be applied to anything that I decide to pursue. For instance, I’ve learned the importance of asking questions, being observant when identifying opportunities in the market, working effectively on a team with diverse backgrounds, assessing the validity of an idea with consumer input, and utilizing a human-centered design framework when trying to help a target audience. Even though I currently don’t have plans to become an entrepreneur, these skills will be essential to any career I choose. If it so happens that an opportunity arises, and I choose the entrepreneur lifestyle, then this certificate program has prepared me to do such work.
The innovative and entrepreneurial framework of knowledge that I have learned has complimented my time at Duke and helped shape my career path by enabling me to see the world in a new light. Many of the I&E courses that I have taken involved consulting for different nonprofits from around the world. These experiential learning courses allowed me to develop a global perspective and helped me realize my passion for social impact consulting.
The pathway that I chose to explore was Social Innovation & Policy. For the most part, my certificate pathway did not change much since my first-year at Duke. I primarily focused on promoting the development of new and better ways to address social problems throughout my pathway experience. For instance, I have done this through a company called GreenLight Fund Detroit, which is all about addressing the major social problems their community faces. When I was working alongside the GreenLight team, they were bringing in programs to increase teacher retention, which would provide students with a stable education; and help released convicted felons get back on their feet through career-focused programs. Through this experience, I was able to provide GreenLight Fund with recommendations to help them better communicate their impact to the broader community in efforts to bring in more contributions for their community-driven programs.