Social entrepreneurship is all about disrupting equilibriums, and to me it feels that this plays out in who is involved in social entrepreneurship as well. At the beginning of the course, we learned that there is no term for entrepreneurship in Swahili, but the women refer to them as “women who dare.” Many industries that I am interested in are male-dominated, which can feel intimidating when you walk into an interview, sit in a class of all men and are consistently talked over, or feel like you need to work so much harder to prove yourself. If an industry is not reflective of you, it is a barrier to entry. In various leadership positions I’ve taken on, I’ve reflected a lot on what it means to be a female leader. There are so many different ideas of how women should act and look always, but particularly in positions of leadership. A great example from this year was in the processes of choosing a Democratic nominee. The women on the debate stage were constantly scrutinized, and there was a lot of rhetoric along the lines of “she just doesn’t seem like a presidential candidate” for every woman on the stage. This is incredibly problematic, because it reinforces the balance of power that exists in our systems. I never felt like this entering into the fellowship and working with enterprises. It became clear to me that social entrepreneurship is different— it is inclusive, and strives to bring everyone to the table to tackle global issues. This could be because of the type of people social entrepreneurship attracts, but regardless I have always felt a sense of belonging. That being said, there is still plenty of work to be done in making social entrepreneurship more inclusive so that everyone has leaders they can look to in this field. It has meant so much to me to work with and for strong women during this fellowship. Development in Gardening functions under the confident leadership of Sarah Koch and Lauren Masey, and I worked alongside my friend Julia for the past nine months. Each of them exemplify what it means to be an incredible leader and person. Working with them, and going through the fellowship has made me a more confident leader, and has enabled me to advocate for myself: my ideas, my capabilities, and my accomplishments. Part of this has been the landscape of social entrepreneurship, and part of it has been the structure of the fellowship. As fellows, we had full ownership of our projects from start to finish. We designed the research projects, executed the research, pivoted when we saw fit, and created valuable deliverables that will have a real impact on our enterprises and beneficiaries. It was our responsibility as fellows to create a project management plan and hold ourselves accountable for meeting deadlines we set. We were encouraged to reflect on our skills, and learn to communicate those skills. The fellowship directors, Stephen and Keith, instilled all of the confidence in the world in us, which made me leave meetings feeling like I was capable of everything I set out to do. When I entered into the fellowship, I was eager to enhance women’s agency for the beneficiaries we were working with. Many DIG farmers are ultravulnerable women, and they are able to feel a sense of belonging, be nourished with the vegetables they grow, and supplement their income by selling excess produce. This allows them more autonomy in making decisions about their lives, which they may not have had before. Now, I realize how much agency I gained as well by being a Fellow. The confidence that I have gained in my work and in myself will translate into everything I do moving forward. I find myself confident in my leadership approach as Vice President of Into the Wild, Santa Clara’s outdoor recreation organization. I have more trust in my project management abilities and in other skills I have employed throughout. Finally, I now have more confidence to take on any ambiguity that presents itself in my personal and professional life. For all of these reasons, I am so grateful for the fellowship, and eager to exercise my agency in whatever comes next.
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When I reflect on who I am and what led me here, I can think of a series of events throughout my life, but first I’ll offer some background. I grew up in Colorado, splitting my time growing up between my dad’s house in Denver and my mom’s house in the suburbs. Like any native Coloradan, I spent plenty of time getting familiar with the mountains and hiking trails as well. My sister, Kara, who is nearly 10 years older than me, moved to the East Coast for college when I was 9. Although she wasn’t around all of the time, she certainly helped to spur my passions for sustainability and travel. This began with dinner table conversations. Whenever Kara was home the two of us would stay up for hours just talking at the table. One night, having just returned from her year-long study abroad all around the world, she told me stories of the people she met all over the world. I couldn’t wait to join her on an adventure one day. I wanted every part of it-- sleeping on buses, diving deep with strangers to gain new perspectives, getting lost in an unfamiliar city, but coming back with many stories to tell. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when we planned our first international sister trip to Portugal my sophomore year of high school. The two of us got by with just a few phrases studied out of a Portuguese pocket dictionary and a mini guidebook with maps. I was completely enamored by the freedom of exploring without an itinerary. We got a rental car on a whim, exploring small towns, hiking, and getting lost more times than I could count. We missed trains and even one of our connecting flights on the way back home, but I lived for every instance of chaos. This way of traveling taught me how to adapt to whatever situation I’m in. Plans rarely work out how you think they will anyway. Looking back, my favorite part of the trip was settling into a hostel for the night and becoming fast friends with fellow travelers. This became my favorite part of every trip I’ve gone on since too. I always take a book and sit at the communal kitchen table or lounge room, hoping a new face would come to join me for a tea and a chat. A vulnerable conversation about life, dreams, and worries can turn a stranger into someone you care and feel for within an hours. I always leave feeling so full of love and so grateful to be alive, sharing this world with such beautiful, unique humans. Between my love for the people I know and the people I’ve yet to meet, along with my love for the Earth itself, I found my raison d’être. I am fueled by the belief that I can contribute to the flourishing of humans, plants, and animals, but I wasn’t sure exactly how to do that. It’s overwhelming to consider how to solve global issues such as climate change and poverty. I feel empowered in my journey to change by first addressing my own habits and educating those close to me. Introspection is an important part of this for me. Being a person who lives by their values is one of my greatest accomplishments. I achieve this by evaluating if what I am doing aligns with those values and what I want the world to look like. In my constant pursuit to be better and do better, I often turn to books as well. Four books I'd like to credit for helping to form my outlook on the world include: Factfulness by Hans Rosling, Ishamel by Daniel Quinn, The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, and Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. When I consider what I want to pursue personally and professionally moving forward, I see a great possibility for impact in my two areas of study: environmental studies and economics. For a long time, I saw these as competing interests. I'm critical of the role that our current economic system plays in creating or worsening some of the challenges I'm concerned with, such as global economic and social inequalities, the climate crisis, and industrial agriculture, to name a few. However, considering economics in the discussion of sustainable development is also imperative. This perspective was reinforced when I studied sustainable development in Copenhagen, Denmark in the fall of 2019, learning from companies trying to do better by all stakeholders and politicians looking for economically feasible solutions to environmental challenges. Business as usual is no longer an option. I would love to be a part of reforming the status quo business and economic models in favor of ones that contribute to human and environmental prosperity. In the highly relevant words of Paul Simon, “I don’t know where I’m going. I’m on my way. I'm taking my time, but I don't know where.” I have a pretty vague idea where I’m heading, but my hope is that wherever it is, I am guided by my values. I am eager to discover more ways in which my passions and future goals overlap through the Global Social Benefit Fellowship. The Miller Center aligns with my values and my vision for the world. Getting to work with visionary entrepreneurs and communities through action research will help me learn about mechanisms for oppressed communities to build a more ethical and sustainable world. You can hear more about my background and my decision to pursue Environmental Studies and Economics here: |