This weekend I not only closed out my time with my spiritual family in Ann Arbor, but also my academic pursuits as a student at the Michigan business school.
Since January 2010, I was a part of a multi-disciplinary Social Entrepreneurship course where I worked with five other graduate & undergraduate students in launching C2A2 (Community Cars Ann Arbor), a peer-to-peer car-sharing program that provides societal & environmental impact through the sharing of resources.
I never imagined myself to be an entrepreneur, but this was undoubtedly the climax of my academic experience in college because I was challenged to take everything I learned and apply it into launching an actual business. I not only used concepts from my past experiences in marketing, but even the foundations of business I was required to learn in my curriculum and never imagined would ever become useful.
From using Excel spreadsheets for financial projections to understanding different partnership laws and forms of incorporation, I was astounded that the dreadful parts of the BBA curriculum were actually key skills I needed in running a business.
Regardless of the degree of passion you have for entrepreneurship and/or using business to address issues in society, I would highly recommend ENGR490.009 for any undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Michigan. A great course to conclude your academic program and test everything you have learned! Check out socialventurecreation.com for more information :)
Here are five reasons why this was the climax of my academic career.
Why I would recommend this course:
1) Multi-disciplinary teams
After three years working with like-minded students in the same program, it was extremely enlightening to hear different opinions from my teammates with perspectives in design, engineering, and more.
2) Working with grad students
I will never forget the time my team was preparing for an in-class debate. Instead of scoping for the high school debate champion (the undergrad way to approach this situation), a grad student on my team proposed the idea of having the person who felt least comfortable with debating represent our team. Rather than being concerned about the end result, he wanted this to be a learning experience for us to work on our areas of improvement.
3) Testing & defending everything you learned
As the sole representative on my team with a marketing background, I was challenged to defend anything I proposed. I could no longer just rely on a theory or concept mentioned in class as justification, but was challenged explain its value to those who had no exposure to these concepts prior.
4) Connecting with industry experts
The course was led by Moses Lee & Nick Tobier, two lecturers passionate about changing the world through business & design. Not only that, we constantly worked with people from a design firm, base of the pyramid initiatives, lawyers, and other individuals passionate about social entrepreneurship.
5) Applying every concept to a real-life situation
The best thing about this class is that work we did never ended after our final presentation or paper submission, but involved a real-life situation that we wanted to see happen regardless of the course boundaries.
If you'd like more information about the course or my team project, please do not hesitate to contact me (nwon@umich.edu) or Moses Lee (moseslee@umich.edu)!
Since January 2010, I was a part of a multi-disciplinary Social Entrepreneurship course where I worked with five other graduate & undergraduate students in launching C2A2 (Community Cars Ann Arbor), a peer-to-peer car-sharing program that provides societal & environmental impact through the sharing of resources.
I never imagined myself to be an entrepreneur, but this was undoubtedly the climax of my academic experience in college because I was challenged to take everything I learned and apply it into launching an actual business. I not only used concepts from my past experiences in marketing, but even the foundations of business I was required to learn in my curriculum and never imagined would ever become useful.
From using Excel spreadsheets for financial projections to understanding different partnership laws and forms of incorporation, I was astounded that the dreadful parts of the BBA curriculum were actually key skills I needed in running a business.
Regardless of the degree of passion you have for entrepreneurship and/or using business to address issues in society, I would highly recommend ENGR490.009 for any undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Michigan. A great course to conclude your academic program and test everything you have learned! Check out socialventurecreation.com for more information :)
Here are five reasons why this was the climax of my academic career.
Why I would recommend this course:
1) Multi-disciplinary teams
After three years working with like-minded students in the same program, it was extremely enlightening to hear different opinions from my teammates with perspectives in design, engineering, and more.
2) Working with grad students
I will never forget the time my team was preparing for an in-class debate. Instead of scoping for the high school debate champion (the undergrad way to approach this situation), a grad student on my team proposed the idea of having the person who felt least comfortable with debating represent our team. Rather than being concerned about the end result, he wanted this to be a learning experience for us to work on our areas of improvement.
3) Testing & defending everything you learned
As the sole representative on my team with a marketing background, I was challenged to defend anything I proposed. I could no longer just rely on a theory or concept mentioned in class as justification, but was challenged explain its value to those who had no exposure to these concepts prior.
4) Connecting with industry experts
The course was led by Moses Lee & Nick Tobier, two lecturers passionate about changing the world through business & design. Not only that, we constantly worked with people from a design firm, base of the pyramid initiatives, lawyers, and other individuals passionate about social entrepreneurship.
5) Applying every concept to a real-life situation
The best thing about this class is that work we did never ended after our final presentation or paper submission, but involved a real-life situation that we wanted to see happen regardless of the course boundaries.
If you'd like more information about the course or my team project, please do not hesitate to contact me (nwon@umich.edu) or Moses Lee (moseslee@umich.edu)!
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