Journal

How did this quarter go for you?

I’d say it went pretty well. I learned some new things about entrepreneurship and myself. I met some cool people and pushed myself to do things I didn’t know I could do.

What did you love?

I loved collaborating with people to make something new. I liked getting to know my classmates through VP1 and 2. I enjoyed the connection making in class. Meeting the other entrepreneur alumni was cool too, I appreciated seeing where this class can take you in the end and what you can do as an entrepreneur. I loved hearing coaches, professors, and alumni talk about how you don’t have to focus on or do just one thing for the rest of your life. There are loads of ways to be successful and do the things you love. I liked watching pitches from both ventures. Seeing what everyone was capable of in one quarter was inspiring and amazing to see.

What do you wish would have gone differently?

As an E1 I felt lost and confused just about the entire quarter. I know that everyone says that that is just what entrepreneurship is like but it would have been helpful if the class was explained more at the beginning. I felt like I learned more from Sawyer in VP1 about how the class was organized than I did most of the quarter. She explained and gave examples of all the BIC’s and VPC’s and other recourses, as well as explained how pitch day goes and what to expect. I feel that more explanation of what goes on and how the class is structured and what is expected of students would be incredibly helpful to incoming E1’s. I also wish that we had learned more about how to start a venture, the first steps, how to find and interview important customers, and how to go about creating a prototype, etc. I think I may have been more successful with more check-ins from the teaching team and a better layout of VP2 and the expectations for E1’s. I didn’t know what I needed to do to succeed in class besides looking over the written project details. All in all, what is going to keep me coming back is the community. I’m sure I will learn more as I progress.

How has your definition of an entrepreneur changed since the beginning of the quarter?

I am not entirely sure what my starting definition was. But my definition now is someone who creates innovative original ideas to solve problems. I think I have learned that an entrepreneur is someone who starts and finishes something to the end and learns the whole time doing it. They are someone who perseveres and doesn’t give up easily. They are dedicated hard-working, easy-going, helpful people who want to make the best life possible for themselves.

I am pretty excited for winter, I found a photo of me and this giant snowman I built last year and Whatcom falls in the snow. I don’t really ski or snowboard, but I think I’ll end up going a few times with friends. I am most excited about snow and sledding and building stuff with it if it’s good for packing. I really like late-night walks in winter when it still looks so bright out because of the white snow. (I do miss summer though, that is my season for sure)