For the Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Europe course, our Study Tour is based in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden. It is currently day three of our Study Tour, and because this class didn’t have Field Studies like most classes, I was so excited to get outside the classroom (and Copenhagen) to explore and learn more about entrepreneurship!
I come from a family of entrepreneurs – My dad owns a limo company, my sister had her own clothing boutique, and my uncle and aunt each own two restaurants. Becoming an entrepreneur that can focus on bringing locals and tourists together in my hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii is my dream. Through this program, I not only wanted to learn how to get a business started, but also see how Scandinavia creates awareness for sustainability, and incorporate those practices into my business one day. This course aims to teach us how to efficiently start our own business, through lectures, a hands-on practicum, and a final presentation about a product or service we’ve been creating to imitate the setting of an investor pitch.
Being a six-week course during both Session 1 and Session 2, our class has remained the same, but from the Study Tour, we all have become so close – both the students and our instructor, Karim. I have gained so much knowledge throughout the past five weeks, about the different methods of starting a business, and the components needed to make it successful. I have been able to experience a startup environment first-hand through my practicum, which has taught me incredibly valuable skills, such as how to communicate with professionals and efficiently market your product and brand image. On this Study Tour, I’ve seen many different co-working spaces that I would love to see back at home because the energy and positive atmosphere is something that I have never experienced.
