Entrepreneurship students reflect on a difficult year with optimism and resilience

The last year has been hard. Full stop. Some of us (I'd include myself) have been really lucky and have gotten through the pandemic largely unscathed. Others have suffered unimaginable pain -- lost loved ones, lost jobs and businesses, and more. Our hearts go out to everyone who's struggled in the last year. 

And yet, in the face of these challenges, we know that entrepreneurs tend to be optimistic and resilient. We asked students about it and here's what four of them said:

Question: The COVID-19 pandemic has been miserable in a lot of ways, but entrepreneurs are optimists by nature. As you think about the last year and looking ahead, what has been a "silver lining" in the dark cloud for you?

Kasey Cederroth: "My silver lining is that I have grown a lot as an individual this past year. This pandemic has shaped me into a different person and I am happy with the person I am now."

Emily Dengler: "That I have been given opportunities that I probably wouldn’t have found if the pandemic wasn’t happening. For example, the marketing internship I am a part of has been different than any internship I have had because it has been heavily impacted by the pandemic."

Zoe Felber: "I've been able to spend more time with family and close friends. And because I can't pack my schedule with in-person social events, I have been able to rest and relax more!"

Zoe Meadows: "Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made lots of things difficult, it also opened doors I wouldn't have imagined existed before everything went quarantined. This past year, I have helped administrate three dance concerts. Because of COVID, these dance concerts looked a lot different than your typical performance; one concert was live-streamed, one took on a drive-in format, and one took on a walking-tour format. As vice-president of the Movement Organization, I assisted in organizing a concert, where 8 alumni from the class of 2020 were able to perform original work, which audiences viewed on a live stream. Then, as part of my Dance Capstone course, I launched a GoFundMe campaign and applied for the CRSCA Grant to fund a drive-in dance concert. This semester, for that same course, we are organizing a concert that is hosted all over East Green; the audience walks from location to location, aided by a tour guide, to see the whole show. Because my funding campaign from last semester was so successful, the senior class was able to fully fund the concert, buying speakers, costumes, and props from our GoFundMe funds. If it weren't for COVID, I wouldn't have thought to create such innovative formats for dance concerts; now, as I look ahead to the future, I am excited to use the skills and experience I've had raising money and organizing events in the professional dance field. Not only that, organizing dance concerts during COVID has gotten me thinking about performance events entrepreneurially - just because audiences have been sitting squished in dark rooms to watch performances doesn't mean they have to. Creating unique concert formats makes audiences more involved in the performances themselves, and thus, more excited to attend. More audience means more ticket sales for dance companies. Yet, it took me a worldwide pandemic to realize sometimes limitations and restrictions can lead to greater creativity than you could achieve by yourself!"

Entrepreneurs are resilient. We all get knocked down. The difference between winners and losers is how fast we get up. What's a challenge you've faced, overcome, and learned from (and perhaps made you stronger) in the last year?

Kasey Cederroth: "I have always struggled with mental health and this pandemic has truly made that much worse. I have had a lot of dark moments but I knew that I was strong and could make it through. I know I am not alone in this and that has helped me as well, I have support and care from others even from afar."

Emily Dengler: "A challenge that I have had to face is drastically changing schedules. In the fall, I was taking all of my classes online and in my apartment. This gave me a lot of free time to work on various projects that I wanted to work on and I was able to connect with people virtually. Now, I am interning for a company, in person, where I work 40 hours a week 8-5 Monday through Friday. This has been a drastic change but it has shown me that I really thrive under a set schedule."

Zoe Felber: "One challenge I've faced is trying to make more personal and even professional connections, all over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. For my summer internship last summer, I worked completely remote and did not meet my boss or co-workers until the last day of my internship. We all had to adjust to less interaction, but luckily I must've made a good enough "virtual" impression because I am working with them again this summer!"

Zoe Meadows: "This whole year has been filled with little challenges - probably the one thing that encapsulates a lot is doing school from home. At home, college is just not the same as in-person instruction (especially if you're a dance major). After learning I wasn't going to be able to return to campus last spring semester, I started to lose motivation to study or work on classwork. However, after reading the book Big Magic, (it's kind of a weird book, but it had a big impact on me none the less) I started to realize that I have to be self-driven, not professor-driven or boss-driven or parent-driven if I want to succeed in my life and career. Being self-driven allows me to live to my own standards, not looking to others for validation. It gives me greater agency and passion for my own work. COVID challenged me to work less closely with my professors, but it also gave me the agency to do my own thing. I'm grateful for that, as I'm learning to trust myself and my instincts more and more."