A Boost of Motivation

Today’s class concluded our six-session introductory class on social entrepreneurship with Dr. Philip T. Roundy, which has provided us a great deal of theoretical insight and practical experience. We looked into the future possibilities and challenges to consider regarding social entrepreneurship, before we finally got to present the class’s group work, evaluating each other’s results. A memorable experience we bring with us in the final projects to be presented in Washington, DC.

After lunch we met with Michael Rice, the entrepreneur behind the local coffee shop ‘Mad Priest Coffee’. Mr. Rice shared the story of his company and how they work to serve Chattanooga the best coffee possible, while also strengthening community and cultural bonds in the area, not to mention their dedication to providing work to local refugees. Our Q&A session with Mr. Rice gave us a significant boost of motivation, as well as caffeine, before engaging in the day’s last segment.

A day that had already given us so much, had not yet seen it’s peak before 4 pm when our groups for the final project were announced at last. Everyone was eager to see who they’d work with to outline a potential social business to bring back to Europe. The program coordinators had been hard at work creating the teams based on our interests, passions, and competencies demonstrated throughout the first two weeks. Each of the five teams then went straight to the library to initiate the first team meeting. We look forward to create something truly special together during the next couple weeks!