In one of my favorite musicals Into the Woods there are the lines of:
“I guess this is goodbye, old pal, you’ve been a perfect friend, I hate to have to part, old pal, someday I’ll buy you back.”
He happens to be singing about a cow, and I’m not about to purchase anything back, but I find the words fitting. We went into the “woods” of this extraordinary country, and made so many friends and had such a time of growth in a country where the cow happens to be revered. But the musical is all about the growth of the characters, and I know that I definitely grew.
Entrepreneurship was something that was foreign to me. I find safety in numbers and equations, or on a stage with a giant crowd, most certainly not buried in the depths of a business plan. But I know that someday I wanted to be the engineer who has the ability to talk between any group, therefore my business understanding had to develop.
Working directly with Ushas School for Exceptional Children was an amazing experience. Though at times I felt the timeline for the course kept me from bits of information I would’ve like to know earlier, and didn’t give much processing time, we managed to come so far and I believe we made a difference. The mentally disabled children at the school were precious, and in the end, we were able to influence the owner to see that she needed to spend small amounts of money on promotion of her school with brochures and cards so she could bring in more donors. We were able to outline that she needs to get a new board so that she has more manpower and is not stretching herself thin, also, we saw simple changes to social media that are easy fixes to promotion problems. In short, we learned how to make a difference, and turn a bunch of engineers into entrepreneurs in the making, and it was a great feeling I hope to have again.
India was a step forward through professional know-how, and was an eye-opening experience. It is my “old pal” who I say goodbye to, who I may see again someday.
-Marcelle Durrenberger