How’s it going?

1. With your team

So far, it’s going really well with my team! Everyone is really willing to put in their fair share of work for V1. It’s been AGES since I’ve worked with a team in school, and I’m starting to be reminded of the benefits and struggles for sure. One of my team’s biggest obstacles is time coordination. Not anyone’s fault in the slightest, but overlapping schedules can definitely make meeting up in person a little difficult, but we’ve done a good job powering through that. One of the largest benefits to working in a group is definitely the work delegation and support. My team has been AWESOME at dividing tasks and answering as many questions as possible. So so appreciate their support. I’m going to be gone for a large portion of this coming week (heading out Wednesday morning for a track meet in California), and I’m a little nervous that my absence is going to put my team behind somehow. Going to stay on top of communication and planning so that doesn’t happen though. 

2. With the evidence-based entrepreneurship skills

So far it’s going well! I’ve had various in person interviews, and I have to say that they are SO valuable in actually understanding real customer struggles. One of my most interesting interviews was with my coworker, who is originally from Mexico. His name is Hamlet, and he’s a native Spanish speaker. My group’s venture project surrounds the premise of language accessibility in business settings, and it was enlightening to find out that he blamed himself a lot when interacting with English speaking businesses for the lack of communication that was able to transpire. He said he never once thought about what the business could do to help accommodate HIM, and that made me very sad actually, because communication is a two way street.

3. With discovering a new accessibility opportunity? 

In terms of discovering new accessibility opportunities, it’s been interesting learning in my venture group about language accessibility, but also hearing what other groups are tackling in terms of this prompt. It’s awesome to see the creativity in the venture ideas, and it makes me wonder how long it will be before these ideas are actually put into action by the world/cities/governments, as they are dealing with very real everyday problems that won’t disappear without a solution.

4. Where are you feeling need for support at this point in the quarter?

The fact that this question is even included makes me feel supported, haha. Honestly, I think a lot of the support is already coming from all the other E levels. This class has already been so different from all my other Western classes, but in a way that is honestly better suited to my learning style. I really enjoy that everyone is being held accountable to be timely and communicate. In past classes, it was extremely easy to manage time poorly when working solo, but if you do that here, you will sink your group, which ain’t cool.

5. Life!

Life so far has been going pretty good! I recently dropped one of my classes. Just reflecting on how overwhelmed I was last quarter, I knew quantity over quality was NOT the move. I’m super excited to be able to delegate more of my energy into a couple of classes that I’m truly interested in rather than do the bare minimum to pass a high number of credits. Other news, I’m on the hunt for a new job! I work at Lighthouse Bar and Grill, and have been there for over a year. I think I’ve accidentally let myself settle with the environment, and I’ve decided IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE. If anyone knows of any places hiring, let me know! Here are some photos from my 5k at PLU this weekend! SUPER windy, but still a blast! The last two photos had me cracking up, so I thought I’d share, haha.

1. Introduce yourself! Who are you? What are you majoring in/hoping to major in? What are your hobbies?

Hello! My name is Gabi Davis! I am a sophomore originally from Spokane Washington. I’ve lived in Bellingham for just over a year now and am currently process of figuring out my major. I’m apart of Western’s track & field/ xc team, so I’m always running. I LOVE to sing & dance, and will never turn down a dance battle invitation. I love to read. One of my all time favorite books is the Night Circus. It was a recommendation from my older sister, and it surrounds the premise of magic. I remember reading it and just being absolutely ENTHRALLED by the author (highly recommend if that sounds like your cup of tea). A couple of other passions/loves are art, rock-climbing, cats, and movies with a twist.

2. Why did you join Entrepreneurship or why are you in the Entrepreneurship minor?

I joined Entrepreneurship, because when I looked into the program and what it represented/ took to join, it was everything I wanted to be/ create. Networking, community building, drive, independence, passion, pursuit, risk-taking, collaboration, the list goes on. I just honestly saw myself really having a lot of fun and starting to build a future in the direction that I wanted rather than what I thought I was supposed to want.

3. How did the first day of class go for you? What stuck out to you? What areas do you need more clarity? 

The first day of class was a blast. I really didn’t know what to expect coming in if I’m being honest, but as soon as I heard the music blasting from the hallway, I just kept thinking to myself “Please let that be my classroom. Please let that be my classroom.” I think one of the biggest things that stuck out to me was the student leadership. In most class dynamics, the teacher is the superior and the students are below, but to my surprise, the first day was directed primarily by older E level students. Regarding areas that need more clarity, I think discussing what the expectations are for the projects would help a lot. It’s definitely funky coming into this program having no idea what’s going on, and I (and I’m sure the rest of the E1s) are realizing that there is certainly a learning curve. Haha.

4. How are you preparing for success this quarter?

I think one of the biggest changes I’m trying to make this quarter compared to the last is realizing when my brain can & can’t function. Last quarter, I would attempt to complete the majority of assignments late at night (as with class, practice, and work, that’s when I had time available). This quarter, I’m going to change that. I’m going to do the bulk of my schoolwork in the early afternoon- mid afternoon. I was extremely frustrated at myself last quarter for not being able to zero in whenever I wanted, but I came to obvious realization that “Hey, maybe you’re not lazy, you’re just really freaking tired and your brain is more active during certain parts of the day.”

Another thing I’m attempting this quarter is crafting/ organizing time using a google calendar with all of my assignments/ availability mapped out. If I’m able to visually see when I’m free, I can better capitalize on my free-time and be more productive. Last quarter was one of my lowest points I’ve ever been at. I was in classes I didn’t like, and was drowning in balancing school, work, sports, and maintaining relationships. The bigger picture of my cascading responsibilities can quickly flood my brain if I’m not careful. Breaking things down into bite sizes and tackling tasks one step at a time is a necessity for my success, and it’s taken me awhile to realize this.

5. After to reading the syllabus, what do you expect for your E-level journey this quarter? (eg- first quarter, second quarter, etc.

After reading the syllabus, I think my E level journey might be a tad messy this quarter (messy in the sense of the learning curve I previously talked about). From the looks of it, E1s really focus on establishing base skills, habits, communication, and grasping the process of the ENTR class, but also entrepreneurship in general. I am so so excited, but also starting to prepare myself for a couple bumps along the way. Even just meeting with my venture project group and seeing how willing they were to help and answer every question gives me hope and is a reassurance knowing there will be guidance along the way.