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• 1 2018-03-06T23:17:48-05:00 The Story of Me & CXC 1 plain 2018-04-23T22:56:46-04:00

  What Led Me to College X Change

  Throughout my life I have always loved meeting new people and building relationships. I also developed an early interest in the field of entrepreneurship, and working on my own projects. Coming into college, I was that annoying kid in Annenberg who went from table to table saying hello to everyone and asking the questions of, “What’s your name, where are you from, and what are you thinking about studying?” I first joined community organizations on campus in order to meet more people and develop a family. Within these community organizations and the other groups I joined shortly after, I became involved in leadership and focused on the service aspects of my positions. Fast forward to sophomore year, I knew that I wanted my summer experience to consist of working for myself in a sense. Every summer prior for three years I had an internship within a finance or management role, and I am grateful for those opportunities, but I wanted a change of pace.

  Impact of the Service Role on Me

  I am so glad I took the risk to develop my projects in the i-Lab because it taught me a lot about myself. I wanted to find out if I truly wanted to be involved in entrepreneurial endeavors or if it was just a daydream of mine. After the summer was over I learned that I loved every second of my experience. Working with others, creating my own schedule, and creating cool platforms and products was exhilarating, and something I see myself continuing. The College X Change in particular showed me that real change can be made in an environment. As long as one is determined and persistent, a solution to a communal issue may be discovered. It is not the job of those older than us to create change for us, the power is in our hands as well. This platform has turned me into a better servant for the overall student body. I want the College X Change to be an amazing resource that consistently students use. Given this, I find myself in constant communication with students to uncover ways that the College X Change may better fit their needs.

  Other Initiatives

  Other than the College X Change, another venture that I began based on education is IamJeanElie. IamJeanElie is a non-governmental organization that seeks to raise awareness and donations for the undernourishment and poverty impacting the Haitian youth. Since I am Haitian, this is a project that I hold close to my heart. Haiti currently has a stigma of destitution that does not even come close to the country's true beauty and potential. I wouldn't be who I am today without growing up in the Haitian household that nurtured me and helped me develop. Growing up Haitian taught me that it takes a village to raise a child, and that it is by the help of many hands that an individual may be uplifted. Through IamJeanElie, money has been raised to help build structures such as schools and playgrounds, and food drives are done in order to help bring nourishment to the country.