Penntrepeneurs are changing the world
They are among us strolling through Locust Walk
Penn is a true “research institution” (as every tour guide will stress to every prefrosh on a tour) and innovation happens on the daily.
But who is behind this revolution? It’s time to find out more about these “Penntrepreneurs” who are supposedly changing lives and transforming industries.
What courses are they taking? Can they maintain a healthy social life with their full agendas? Is free time a thing for them? What happens if they take CIS 120?
Last week, I met Alejandra – a Penn med student from Guatemala. Alejandra is working on a social entrepreneurship project concerning the health problem in her country.
What is your project about?
My idea for this project in the current stage is to improve the sanitation in rural areas of Guatemala. If it goes well, I also want to increase the healthcare access to local people.
What are your current goals with the project?
What I really want to do and am doing right now is to partner with organizations around the world, such as a team in India working on water filter system, and adapt what they have done to local community Guatemala.
What do you like about the Penn entrepreneurial experience?
One thing I found especially interesting is the how student entrepreneurs here think of making money while making social impact. And I found it resonates with my point of view.
Before I came to Penn, I found, especially in the public health realm, some people think that social entrepreneurship and making money are mutually exclusive and have negative opinions towards entrepreneurs.
You are NOT in Wharton, but have you tried any Wharton course yet?
No, but I am thinking about taking Social Entrepreneurs next spring. And I am really interested in learning some business models and apply them to public health projects.
Have you attended any entrepreneur-centered event on campus?
I attended the Penn Innovation Conference. I went to the healthcare workshop and it is really interesting to see how you can marry making money and make healthcare system more efficient.
Let’s talk time commitment. How many hours do you devote to this project every week?
Umm…It really depends on the things I have to do because mostly what I am doing at this point are sending emails, researching and attending conference. I would say six to eight hours.
Where will this project be in ten or twenty years?
This project is my dream. And I see what I am doing right now at Penn as the starting point. As I will not be in Guatemala in the short term, I am trying to find opportunities in Philly to gain some real-world experience.
In fact, I am trying to improve healthcare access for people who come from Latin America in Philly. We really want to make a change in local area, just as the saying: “local is global.” I think it can be applied to any settings. As for the future, we’ll see.