Thank YOU!

I would like to thank Professor Zak and each of you for making this class experience so spectacular. You really do learn a lot spending an entire semester turning a passion into a reality, and watching others do so as well :) Being with such an empowering bunch of folks has really helped me come to terms with the fact that I'm graduating, and it's time to get out and change things, bottom-up and in an innovative way. Could we continue posting to this blog? Would love to hear updates from everyone!

Our team eagerly awaits the results of the Dell Social Innovation Challenge for our water purifier solution for rural communities in India. The five finalists will be announced next week. Today, I met with Josh Knauer, truly a phenomenal person. Before I explain my purpose in writing this post, I have to go on a slight tangent. Josh is currently CEO of Rhiza Labs - a business intelligence start-up that strategically develops ways to easily visualize and communicate data. They do some really cool stuff, including equipping Brazil's fierce Surui tribe to partake in the carbon market and reap the benefits of carbon offsets. Rhiza has equipped the tribe members with a smartphone that includes GPS tracking, a camera, and web capabilities that will enable scientists to construct maps of the rain forest and calculate carbon offsets. Rhiza collaborates with Google Earth to implement this solution.

Speaking of collaboration, Josh suggested our Neer (water purifier) team to explore opportunities with Wello, a social venture that utilizes a WaterWheel to give people in Rajasthan, India easier access to potable water. The Wheel carries 5 gallons of water, enough to meet the needs of a family for a day. http://wellowater.org/the-issue-our-solution/

This opportunity excites me and I'm excited to convey it to our team.

So, as a lot of interesting ideas rush, twist, turn, spark, and flare through my head as a result of this class, I am so thankful that they are now ideas with catalysts for implementation and set of instilled guiding principles. This came from our class. What's more, Ketaki, something you said during your Hult success really resonates with me -- "you don't need to change the world by yourself." There are amazing opportunities for collaboration out there, and I'm every ready to join in on the fun!

Thank you! All the best to everyone.
Amy