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Julia Roberts EPG Portfolio presentation
- 2. Julia Roberts Warsaw, Ohio Class of 2020 Business Administration Major, Sustainability and Environment Minor Roberts, Julia. “Senior Photo.” 2016. Digital File. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 3. Key Insights: EPG Abilities Dealing with ambiguity Advocating change Recognizing opportunities 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 4. Personal Growth Assumptions Roberts, Julia. “NYLT 2014.” 2014. Digital File 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 6. Public Common Good Roberts, Julia. “Damascus.” 2017. Digital File. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 7. 10 Concepts • Appalachian Context • Design Thinking • Business Model Canvas • IHEP • October Sky • Interviews • Outdoor Experience • Pattern Recognition • Walkability • Team building/dynamics 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 8. Appalachian Issues 1.04% 9.80% 38.00% 51.16% Coshocton County Agriculture Government Services Other 2.94% 20.28% 50.29% 26.49% Rockcastle County Agriculture Government Services Other CEDSCI User Research Exercise. 2017. Digital. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 9. Appalachian Material Ross, Jamie. Appalachia Part One. 2009. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. Digital File. 6/29/17 Johnson, Joe. October Sky Theatrical Poster. 1999. Wikipedia. Digital File. 6/29/17 Dean Chad Berry. 2015. Berea College. Digital File. 6/29/17 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 10. Appalachian Context and Design Thinking Roberts, Julia. “Prototyping.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Boone Trace Marker.”2017. Digital File. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 11. New Ways of Learning Lai, Chin-Lee. Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder. 2014. Google Books. 6/29/17 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 12. Team Contributions Roberts, Julia. “Rehixe.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Walkability.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Map Draft.” 2017. Digital File. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 13. Mulligans Roberts, Julia. “Natural Bridge.” 2017. Digital File. 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 14. Most Significant Event Roberts, Julia. “Walkability Survey.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Underground Railroad.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Riding Conditions.” 2017. Digital File 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 15. Personal Action Plan WHAT HOW WHY 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
- 18. Works CitedCEDSCI User Research Exercise. 2017. Digital Dean Chad Berry. 2015. Berea College. Digital File. 6/29/17 Johnson, Joe. October Sky Theatrical Poster. 1999. Wikipedia. Digital File. 6/29/17 Lai, Chin-Lee. Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder. 2014. Google Books. 6/29/17 Roberts, Julia. “Boone Trace Marker.”2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Damascus.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Map Draft.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “NYLT 2014.” 2014. Digital File Roberts, Julia. “Prototyping.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Rehixe.” 2017. Digital File. Roberts, Julia. “Walkability.” 2017. Digital File. Ross, Jamie. Appalachia Part One. 2009. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. Digital File. 6/29/17 7/10/2017JuliaRoberts:EntrepreneurshipforthePublicGoodPortfolio
Editor's Notes
- The EPG program is about the study of entrepreneurial leadership through community economic development, particularly in the Appalachian region. Of the six EPG abilities, the three key insights for me were recognizing opportunities, dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity, and advocating change. Recognizing opportunity ties into the idea of pattern recognition: the ability to listen to and empathize with customers and see and seek out opportunities as they arise. Many of the activities had some level of ambiguity. There is no one right way to do things. And the entire process has lead me to continue my vision to advocate for change in the world.
- Coming into this program I had a few assumptions. I have been through several leadership trainings before (this is a picture of me my first year staffing a national youth leadership training for the Boy Scouts of America), so I assumed structurally it would be something similar: breaking up into groups, team building, practicing communication, etc. This allowed me to keep my experience objective while still participating; because I have done similar trainings in the past, I could take a step back and analyze how different components fit into the larger picture, while still remaining focused on the current task. My assumptions overall were true, the structure was quite similar to what I had experienced in the past; however, there was also significantly more hands on learning than conceptual learning, which I had not anticipated. As a member of a team I felt a little strange, as my other team members all have specialized skills, such as art, or computer science, or design, whereas I was simply a business major. However, I was able to use my past experiences and keep the bigger picture in mind while my team members performed specialized tasks I could not dream of recreating myself. How did you come to experience the value of “design thinking” and “human centered approaches”? Though I later came to realize that we used design thinking throughout the course, the place it was best illustrated to me was during the Awesome Hiking Experience (AHE) and how we were able to relate the process to the Business Model Canvas, introduced to us by Rodney. Empathizing I believe is the most important part of the design thinking process. Ideas can be generated by anyone at anytime, but ideas that solve the root of an important issue and create a meaningful change are rare. These ideas cannot come out of thin air, there must be a full understanding of the customer and the root of their issues before an idea can be generated. Once the idea is created, it is tested again and again on the original customer until it solves the problem.
- Coming full circle. I came into the program with some assumptions and now I have my personal theory about what I believe the Entrepreneurship for the Public Good program (EPG) is all about. I believe EPG is designed to reveal and practice pattern recognition and turning ideas into action in regards to entrepreneurial leadership. Pattern recognition ties into almost all of the concepts of the EPG program. You must recognize patterns within your skillset, your team’s skillset, the situations your team/cohort is put into, the Appalachian context, and design thinking. Pattern recognition can be integrated into the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program (IHEP) concepts. It can be seen in the AHE. Without both pattern recognition and turning ideas that have been recognized into action there cannot be change.
- Throughout the experience, many who were unfamiliar with the program inquired about the “Public Good” aspect. Is it social service? Is it non profit? How can there be Entrepreneurship for the Public Good? The interest of the public good is demonstrated in the AHE, the Appalachian context, and the overall goal of creating maps to benefit the economy of small Appalachian towns along the Boone Trace Trail. In the case of EPG, the individual good is linked to the common good; we are gaining valuable entrepreneurial experience while working to benefit the lives of others in the region. If this kind of individual good as a side effect of common good can be kept in mind, there are no disadvantages to either party. It is when one side puts more value on their good than the other than an imbalance in the equilibrium is created. The creative class is one essential aspect of impacting the common good, because they usually have the knowledge/resources to make change happen; however, I believe that the creative class is not always the group that identifies the need for change, because there is usually not as great a need for change within their own class. You need someone from outside the creative class to bring in the issue perspective. Using Damascus as an example, there are a variety of innovative entrepreneurs in the town of Damascus and along the Virginia Creeper Trail; however, if those business owners had not truly understood their customer segment, the Damascus we see today would be nonexistent. In order for there to be meaningful change there must be collaboration between a variety of classes and perspectives.
- EPG covers a multitude of concepts which I could never fully list out; however, the 3 concepts that stood out to me most were Pattern Recognition, Design Thinking, and Walkability. How did the three concept(s) emerge None of these processes, experiences, or learnings are relevant without pattern recognition. If you are not able to recognize the importance of the Appalachian context, the potential for a need, the essential aspect of empathy and how personal experience relates to that, or how the diversity of one’s team can impact any outcome, then you did not gain anything from the course. Pattern recognition allows us to see beyond the equilibrium that currently exists. Once patterns are recognized the design thinking process of iteration begins. The pattern recognition concept continues throughout this process, helping to pivot and refine ideas as necessary. Design thinking allows us to use that tool, among others to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test a multitude of ideas. Walkability is an excellent example of both of these concepts. Though we had a prior idea of a potential need through explanations provided by Dr. Hackbert, walkability was an experiential survey which allowed us to recognize the needs first hand and talk to the individuals within the communities about potential solutions, even beyond our work this summer. This enabled the design thinking process throughout our work on the maps.
- Back tracking, EPG is centered around entrepreneurial leadership in the Appalachian region. When you think of Appalachia and the economy what words come to mind? As we know, when we think of Appalachia we think of poverty and unemployment. My county, Coshocton, has an unemployment rate of 6.3%, with the majority of jobs being in government (9.8%), and manufacturing (38%). Coshocton county is almost twice the population size of Rockcastle county, which is a relatively impoverished area of Kentucky; however, Rockcastle actually has a lower unemployment rate, 4.8%. The majority of their jobs are held in Government (20.28%) and Manufacturing (50.29%). This is significantly higher than Coshocton county’s rates, despite the smaller size. Their median household income though is still about 10,000 lower than Coshocton’s. This drives home the issue of unemployment and poverty which, though it is being experienced in different ways throughout the region, is still prevalent and needs to be addressed.
- In order to understand our customer segment, before we went out into the field we studied a variety of Appalachian materials. Three that stood out to me were Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People, October Sky, and a discussion led by Dean Chad Berry. Appalachia: A history of Mountains and People provided a historical foundation for the region. What brought people here and what keeps them here? October Sky combined the Appalachian context with design thinking, illustrating how the Rocket Boys, who lived in the heart of Appalachia, were able to utilize the design thinking process and go above and beyond what was expected of them. Dean Chad Berry was able to emphasize the diversity of the region in a way that the other resources, with their singular perspective, were unable to do so.
- All of these resources and more depicted EPG being sensitive to your learning from “Hillbilly Elegy,” “empathy,” “customer discovery,” “prototyping,” in the development of the EPG Summer Institute. Walkability enabled us to fully experience the Appalachian context of the issues and speak with individuals from the areas and empathize with them. The AHE allowed us to do customer discovery, empathize with their issues, and prototype to enhance their overall experience.
- One of the other Academic materials we utilized were a variety of tests at the beginning of the course to help us understand our strengths and weaknesses and the learning styles of the cohort. The entrepreneurial strengths finder was probably the most helpful in identifying different styles of leadership and learning. For example, my top four “talents” were Independence, Relationship, Knowledge, and Delegator. Overall, I have a Relational builder style, meaning I work to create mutually beneficial relationships. Though I knew that I am a relatively relationship-oriented person, I was surprised that independence was actually my top talent. Though I do have a strong sense of responsibility and I can usually handle multiple tasks, I do not think of myself as an independent person because, to me, independent meant doing my own thing, separate from the rest of the team. As a relational individual, this definition of independence did not work for me, but the new definition as provided by the entrepreneurial strengths finder makes sense. It challenged my assumptions of my skillsets and the skillsets of others.
- On the topic of skillsets, my team worked on orming as a team, diversifying our leadership abilities, understanding the design thinking process/utilizing the business model canvas, and accomplishing the overall goal of creating a meaningful map for Rockcastle County. Why does that matter? This matters because we were able to work towards one central goal as a unified team. Without formation or understand the unique abilities each team member provides, we would not be able to apply the design thinking process which enabled us to accomplish the overall goal. As we formed as a team and advanced our entrepreneurial leadership abilities, we had some assumptions. We assumed, Social entrepreneurship is essential to the Appalachian region because it both benefits the existing community and brings in more of the creative class to further benefit the economy. Using the example of Damascus, prior to the establishment of the Virginia Creeper trail, Damascus was in a similar position to Mount Vernon in Rockcastle county; it was once a booming area and had since then become almost nonexistent. When social entrepreneurship was utilized to create the Virginia Creeper trail, it brought in a new customer segment to the existing businesses. This, in turn, pushed other entrepreneurs and members of the creative class to move to the area.
- If there was one thing I would do-over, it would be inter-cohort work. Once we broke up into teams, I believe we each went our separate ways and did not communicate as much as we could have. To some degree, this was necessary; each team had to work on their maps and individual team building. Even so, I believe that as a cohort we could have benefitted more if we had communicated what each team was doing, what worked, what didn’t work, what could be improved, and bounced ideas off of one another, rather than competing or relaying obscure ideas. Large group work is not easy, but it is an excellent learning experience.
- The most significant event for me was the day we finished the draft of the ACA map. Most of the cohort was either out surveying, or in the classroom also finishing their maps, and to be able to check off the last few pieces of the list was amazing. Our final product looked so clean and professional. It was really amazing to see how all of those little pieces, from starting with our walkability, to writing the field notes and graphing the map sections, all came together to form this one document for others to use. It felt like a great accomplishment, but also just one piece of a larger picture with a wider outcome.
- Throughout the course I have been further developing my personal action plan, my vision. Vision in one word: Change By change I mean, shifting the equilibrium. By change I mean, bettering myself and learning more so I can continue to help others. By change I mean, changing mindsets, pivoting, moving forward, seeking solutions. Changing the world as we have come to see it. Why do I do what I do? Because I want to see change. My vision, is to apply the knowledge I have gained, and will continue to gain, about entrepreneurship, design thinking, communication, and leadership to my passion for service in order to create a meaningful change. HOW: I will utilize my past leadership trainings to heighten my management skills. I will employ the entrepreneurial mindset and design thinking process to service and nonprofit management. In addition, I will look at nonprofit management through the lens of a social entrepreneur, and work to create a meaningful equilibrium shift rather than a band-aid solution. WHAT: Help other students refine their skills. Develop some more job specific skills. Collaborate with those outside my field. Continue to expand my educational opportunities. All in all, my rider and elephant appear to be working together. I am passionate abuot what it is I want to do, and I know how I am going to make that happen. The path may be a little rough still but it will clear as I continue to move forward.
- One of the core aspects of the course was the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program; a culmination of eight lessons highlighting a variety of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial skillsets. Lessons 2, 3, and 8 resonated with me the most. In lesson 2, we learned about recognizing opportunities, in 3 discussed turning ideas into action, and 8 enabled action through the power of persistence. I believe that, of the eight lessons we have learned, these are some of the most important and relate best to the design thinking process. The first step is empathizing with the customer and identifying the problem: recognizing opportunities. The second step is ideating, prototyping, and testing the solution: turning ideas into action. The third step is iteration, completing the process over and over until a meaningful solution is created: persistence. Without these three lessons, complete change is not possible. In college, I believe recognizing opportunities and persisting are extremely essential. Especially in a place like Berea, there are innumerable opportunities if one chooses to seek them. In the past year, I have had more opportunities than I ever would have imagined obtaining as a freshman. I hope to continue to recognize opportunities in the future that will help me to succeed and grow. Persistence is also a virtue in college, especially in Berea. The workload can easily become overwhelming, and without a clear vision direction can be easily lost. I need to maintain my persistence towards my vision and continue working despite challenges I may face. Opportunity recognition combined with persistence is essential in a college environment.
- The most important thing I have learned in the Ice House program, biking 34 miles on the Virginia Creeper Trail, the Awesome Hiking Experience…from EPG is the interconnectedness of all of the concepts we have learned. Though they were never specified, I could see the application of the design thinking process, the entrepreneurial mindset, pattern recognition, and more throughout this program. Though entrepreneurial concepts were not intended to be geared towards Appalachia, the adversity the entrepreneurs we met faced was similar to the adversity we experienced in the five counties of the Boone Trace trail, and the same adversity we will face as entrepreneurs in the future. Their success provides hope for the future of Appalachia, and any disadvantaged location, person, group, etc. If we can learn to recognize the similarities, and in that, the opportunities we share we will be able to make a meaningful change.