UIUC Presentation 2015

Creating a Personal Vision

University of Illinois at Urbana ChampaignSept 14, 2015

Agenda

Personal VisionTekspark

My initial “goals”Learn about leadership and entrepreneurshipIncreasing involvement in businessIncreasing involvement with customers and

partners

Some StepsEnrolled in entrepreneurship coursesMoved to organizational leadership rolesIncreasing participation in business leadershipFounded a non-profitAdvisor to startupsAttend meet-ups that touch upon

entrepreneurship

Vision and LeadershipClarity of decision-making

Ability to listenAbility to influence

“I not only use all the brains I can have, but all the brains I can borrow”

In SummaryKnow yourselfSet a personal vision you can believe inListen, especially to counter-pointsLeverage resources, know constraints Identify the observable/measurable goal or result Influence to achieve your visionEmbrace change, adapt and course-correct quicklyDon’t be afraid to fail!

Tekspark

TeksparkNon-profit for STEM diversityGrassroots Engagement – middle/high schoolsSpread the joy of STEM in formative yearsStill in the early part of the journey

VisionIncrease the number of women in STEM by 5%

by 2020

MissionCatalyze progress towards a world with more diverse STEM presence, and

empowering technology with diversity. Tekspark aims to engage with schools, universities and the industry at the

grassroots level in promoting the choice of STEM for people with

diverse, racial and ethnic backgrounds

How it evolvedInitially, just the passionWhat did I want to see differentlyWhat is the unsolved problem this would solve?Did I feel convinced?More validation of ideasLeveraged network

Activities1:1 Mentorship

Panel DiscussionsHackathons

Journey So FarThree high school partnerships launched15 mentors enrolled 2 panel discussions heldOne contest conductedTarget this year

30+ mentorsHack-a-thon involving multiple high schoolsMore panel discussionsSurvey before and after school year

Tekspark

http://www.tekspark.org Twitter: @tekspark_incEmail: shobana@tekspark.org