What was something that they truly loved?<\/p>\n
For one, it was photography, though that\u2019s not part of her major. For another, it was food \u2013 mostly as a hobby, but also for how it can help build community. And for another, it\u2019s education reform and the way that technology can help evolve systems in need of change.<\/p>\n
Through the F3 experience, these students \u2013 and their cohort peers \u2013 have found ways to develop what they love into meaningful experiences, companies, and new technological developments while building relationships with mentors, industry leaders, and each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiversity and inclusion can often be buzz words in the entrepreneurship space, but at UConn, we are building the most accessible and inclusive entrepreneurial community,\u201d Noble says. \u201cWhether that diversity covers gender, race, or even majors, the Werth Institute is designed to support all students where we find those students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learned from our students that structure of entrepreneurial opportunities was exclusive and reserved for later stage students. We flipped the switch, and began to involve younger and younger students. This investment of time and resources is meant to have massive societal impact by opening up the pipeline for whom access entrepreneurial classes and opportunities in alignment with the creation of MGMT\/BADM 2234, which is available to any student regardless of their year or major.\u201d<\/p>\n
With applications now open for a second year<\/em><\/a> \u2013 and with the F3 Experience looking to expand its reach not only to first-year women but also to first-year students from historically minoritized populations, including LGBTQ+, Black, Native American, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and Asian American, and students of color \u2013 meet two students from the pilot cohort who are now one year into their UConn entrepreneurial journey through this dynamic new program.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Reimagining Education <\/strong><\/p>\n When Sudiksha Mallick \u201924 (CLAS) talks about education reform, her passion for the topic is palpable.<\/p>\n \u201cTruly, education has not changed from the start, it\u2019s still the same \u2013 in rows, lecture-based, teacher at the front, this separation of power between the teacher and the students,\u201d she says. \u201cSo how can we make public schools view school a different way as the times are changing?\u201d<\/p>\n While in high school, Mallick \u2013 who is from Barrington, Rhode Island \u2013 worked with her local school district to rewrite curriculum, with a focus of building more diverse perspectives into learning.<\/p>\n Now at UConn, Mallick is studying political science, international relations, and public policy. She says she never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, and she was hesitant to apply for the F3 program, but was encouraged by her sister and a fellow student who was taking part in the Werth Innovators program to try it out.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t think that I fit what they were looking for, but I was like, why not go for it?\u201d Mallick says. \u201cAnd then it probably became the best decision I made in my college experience so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Mallick is part of a team of three students who are working to develop a set of flash cards designed to support the learning needs of neurodiverse elementary-age students. Called Smart Cards AR, the team\u2019s prototypes utilize augmented reality technologies to provide an interactive experience meant to offer greater engagement to learners.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you put your phone over it, the image pops to life,\u201d she explains. \u201cYou can move it around, you can play with it, and we’re trying to add audio elements. So, it’s like a flash card, but it’s for students maybe who have trouble reading, so they can have both an audio component and a visual component.\u201d<\/p>\n The team is also working on integrating mono-motion technology into their deck, which would scan and track a user\u2019s hand motions, allowing them to use their hand to \u201cdraw\u201d in the virtual space.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal with this was to help students who don’t really learn traditionally and to bring the real-life aspects to learning,\u201d Mallick says.<\/p>\n The team is currently working on developing the full deck of Smart Cards, and then plans to test their prototypes with community educational partners \u2013 Mallick says that their initial outreach to teachers, school systems, and other potential testers has been met with support and encouragement.<\/p>\n Support has also come from the other members of her F3 cohort \u2013 they met weekly last year, and continued regular contact over the summer. Mallick says that there is no competition between members of the group, which is different from her previous experiences in educational settings.<\/p>\n \u201cComing from a competitive high school, when you’re in these small groups that are like this, usually you think it’s a competitive group,\u201d she says. \u201cBut this group was so supportive of every single person, and it’s made me rethink the way I think about education, too \u2013 maybe there’s no need for that much competition. Maybe it’s actually a little bit unhealthy, the amount of pressure that public schools put on children. In this group, everyone is just there to help, and I think it’s so beautiful to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finding Community<\/strong><\/p>\n Cooking is a hobby for Rachel Laemle \u201924 (CLAS) \u2013 she\u2019s not a professional, or an expert, she says, but she does consider herself a foodie. It\u2019s something she deeply enjoys.<\/p>\n She initially though she might use her time in the F3 program to build an app to help bring together other like-minded foodies.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted it to be a place for foodies to connect,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I soon found out that app making was not something I was interested in, and it was more coding than I envisioned.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, Laemle focused her efforts on building a food blog that incorporates some of those app-like elements. Built on the Wix platform, she uses the blog \u2013 called College Chefette<\/a> \u2013 to document some of her own recipe experiments, but has a section for followers to join as members and connect with each other.<\/p>\n She\u2019s also integrated social media to help build interest in the blog, and has started a contest feature called \u201cRestaurant Replicators,\u201d where participants try to recreate a dish from a local restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s stress free,\u201d she explains of the contest. \u201cIf it fails, it was just for fun. Share what you came up with, but try to make something that you would want at the restaurant, a specific dish.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a money-making venture for Laemle, but the beauty of entrepreneurship and the F3 program is that it doesn\u2019t have to be.<\/p>\n \u201cEntrepreneurship is really being an innovator, developing your passion, being the creator of something, and just making a difference in some way,\u201d she says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be something that you make money off of, or that everybody notices. My food blog isn\u2019t profiting, because that\u2019s not exactly where I needed to go. Everyone is so different, which is one of the best parts about the program \u2013 we\u2019re all exposing each other to what we like and our passions.\u201d<\/p>\n Her passion, and her experiences delving into the food world through her blog and through mentoring connections made through the Werth Institute have also helped guide her plan of study while at UConn.<\/p>\n \u201cI recently decided I want to major in nutrition,\u201d Laemle says. \u201cI had been thinking about it since I applied to college, and I think just through the food thing, meeting other people interested in the food industry, courses I took freshman year in nutrition \u2013 that\u2019s where I decided. I think it\u2019s really interesting, it\u2019s such a progressive field, and there\u2019s so much to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n She hopes over the next year to continue learning, building her blog, and participating in the Institute through the Werth Innovators program.<\/p>\n Applications for the second F3 Experience cohort are due on Monday, September 27, 2021 \u2013 <\/em>click here for more information or to apply<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n![\"headshot](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sudiksha-Mallick-227x300.png\")
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Rachel-Laemle-300x293.jpeg\")