Jack Pearson (CBA & FHC '25) receives his ChangeMaker Scholar graduation stole The growing community of ChangeMakers from the Big Idea Center proves that providing the right environment, resources, and mindset enables students from any background to develop the skills and confidence to create meaningful impact and positive change. After successfully piloting the ChangeMaker Series last spring, the Big Idea Center launched its new ChangeMaker Scholar Recognition Program this fall, welcoming a cohort of 14 dedicated students from the spring Series. At the final Fall 2024 Changemaker Series session, two inspiring ChangeMakers, Jack Pearson (CBA & FHC ’24) and Jaspreet Singh (DSAS ’22, ENGR MS ’24),were awarded full Scholar status and received their Certificate of Achievement along with graduation regalia to showcase their journeys at their respective ceremonies this December!
Story by Rankin Tran (SCI '24) Rankin is a 2023-2024 Big Idea Center Intern who covered this new program and provides his perspective and key take-aways from the participating students. The Big Idea Center recently concluded its inaugural ChangeMaker Series cohort! Launched in Spring 2024, the ChangeMaker Series is a new body-of-knowledge masterclass program designed for Pitt students interested in exploring innovation and entrepreneurial concepts and what changemaking in action and its impact looks like across various disciplines, professions, and areas of interest. This semester, 26 students participated in the first-ever cohort with 17 completing the series and receiving a Certificate of Completion. This level of participation demonstrates strong demand for innovation and entrepreneurship knowledge-building among students at all levels and across disciplines, and a desire to explore how the skillsets and mindsets of innovators and entrepreneurs can be applied to and impact their own lives and careers. Reflecting on the Series, Rhonda Schuldt, Director of the Big Idea Center noted, “We know that engaging in and exploring innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) – in any way – as a student has a significant positive impact.” Rhonda goes on to state, “A lot of the student-facing programs focused on I&E are geared toward starting companies. As such, we found that many students don’t feel like these programs (or a place like the Big Idea Center) were for them. However, innovators and entrepreneurs are our world’s changemakers, and we believe that everyone has this potential whether they start a startup or take innovative and entrepreneurial action in other ways to make a positive impact and deliver value in the world. We created this new ChangeMaker program to invite all students into the Big Idea Center and to know that it’s a place where they absolutely belong and are welcome to step in and explore what innovation and entrepreneurship can uniquely mean for them.” She concludes, “we are absolutely thrilled to see the number and diversity of students – from undergrad to PhD, across a number of disciplines and schools – who stepped in and started their changemaking journey in this first cohort and look forward to seeing more students stepping into their own journey in the coming semesters.” Here is a glimpse into each session and a summary of the students’ key takeaways!
As 2023 comes to a close, a year filled with excitement, fresh starts, and unforgettable moments at the Big Idea Center, let's take a moment to reflect on the captivating stories that were shared on our blog. Delve into these insightful articles, gain inspiration from their unique perspectives, and expand your own perspective on how you can make a positive change in the world. Get ready for an engaging read that will leave you motivated and equipped for success! These are the top 10 most popular blog posts of 2023, written by talented individuals including Pitt alumni, current students, Big Idea Center staff, and more! Happy reading!
It took Sir James Dyson 5,126 failed vacuum designs before he could assemble one working vacuum. Now, we see the Dyson brand in our households with over 1 billion in revenue. At the age of 22, Walt Disney was fired from his job working at a newspaper company because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Thomas Edison had over 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before the first lightbulb was created. Nikola Tesla thought his idea of a "Thought Camera" was his next lifetime achievement, but it failed and the project collapsed. Although I started the blog listing failures from history's most decorated inventors in a very cheesy way, even the greatest innovators fail. These revolutionary innovators failed before inventing life-changing products and services. Currently, I am a rising senior majoring in Supply Chain and Marketing as well as the co-founder and CEO of Greatings. I would like to share my experiences of failing as well as learning in the entrepreneurship world and how it has driven me to continue my passion.
Entrepreneurship is not just for adults; even young children can learn about it and be inspired to think creatively. Recently, the Big Idea Center collaborated with the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to bring in two successful Pitt student entrepreneurs, Anna Li and Joe Maggiore, to speak with elementary students about their experiences with entrepreneurship.
2022 has been a year full of adventure, new beginnings, and incredible memories here at the Big Idea Center! With another year in the books, we would like to take a moment to look back and reflect upon the stories that 2022 has brought us as we highlight our 10 most popular Big Idea Blog posts of 2022! We hope that as you browse these insightful articles written by Pitt alum, current Pitt students, Big Idea Center staff, and more, that you gain inspiration from their points of view as well as additional knowledge to further equip you on your innovation and entrepreneurial journey as you head into 2023! Happy reading!
In celebration of all Pitt Saxbys cafe locations opening on Monday, August 29, get to know the Pitt and College of Business Administration students who run them! In our newest blog post, Pitt Saxbys Student C.E.O.s Shivani Gandhi '25, Dylan Minnick '24, and Maggie Yu '25 (pictured above, left to right) talk about their Saxbys experience and lessons they've learned so far, what their favorite Saxbys menu item is, what things they're looking forward to this semester, and more!
With another year in the books, we at the Big Idea Center would like to take a look back and reflect upon the incredible memories and stories that 2021 has brought us as we highlight our 10 most popular Big Idea Blog posts of 2021! We hope that as you browse these insightful articles written by Pitt alum, current Pitt students, our entrepreneurs in residence, local business owners, and more, that you gain inspiration from their points of view as well as additional knowledge to further equip you on your entrepreneurial journey as you head into 2022!
Are you thinking about meeting with one of our entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs)? If so, you might be wondering if there’s anything you need to prepare ahead of your EIR 1-on-1. While each of our EIRs’ meetings take on an individualized approach, there are some steps that each of them have in common. In our newest blog post, our entrepreneurs in residence have created a helpful outline as to what students should generally expect when meeting with an EIR for the very first time.
In our newest blog post, we sat down with Babs Carryer, our newly retired Director, as she reflects on her time at Pitt and the Big Idea Center and shares her fondest Big Idea Center memories, how the Big Idea Center has changed over the years, what her hope is for the Center moving forward, and what she’s looking forward to during retirement!
