“I learned that I didn’t have to be perfect to start but instead I had to start somewhere to be perfect.”
“I learned a lot about entrepreneurship and public speech. Also before, I didn't know much about design thinking but now I know a lot. I have new friends now and that's amazing. I will continue studying with them for our project.”
In August 2019, 27 high school students took their first steps to becoming the next generation of social entrepreneurs in Turkey and around the world. They attended a 5-day workshop at the Istanbul Center, led by Columbia undergraduate students, Irene Koo, CC '20, and Anna Makowski, BC '21, leaders of Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE), one of the University's largest student societies.
The students learned about how entrepreneurial problem solving and design thinking can yield social impacts. They heard from social entrepreneurs: Marcello Bonatto, MPA '15, Co-Founder of Recoded; Serhan Süzer, Chairman of Eko Group; Serra Titiz, Founder and Managing Director of Mikado Consultng; and Ismael Barry, SEAS '19, Product Designer. They formed groups and pitched their ideas at the end of the workshop to Marcello Bonatto and Serra Titiz, who gave them feedback and advice on how to move forward.
