Week 4 Reading Reflection

Weekly reflection! Here we go:

1  What kind of surprised me was how many sources of innovative ideas entrepreneurs look at for ideas. For instance, “incongruities” was super interesting, because it’s defined as the gap between expectations and reality. What kind of strikes me is that a person has to be insanely creative, like, a box of thoughts doesn’t even exist to think outside of because they’re just in another world.

2.      Nothing was really confusing other than why people would think innovation is planned. Maybe it’s because I grew up in an era where the wildly successful people made it big after coming up with a wildly successful idea, but it seems like innovation is the cross between opportunity and hard work.

3.      If I had to ask the author a question, it would be: out of the principles of innovation, which one do you consider to be the most necessary one to set up for innovation? Like if they had to choose.

4.      I don’t think there was anything in particular that I disagreed with. It was very straightforward, and presented information in a very factual sense. I really like how the author actually listed things and mindsets that hinder growth as an entrepreneur. 

Customer Interviews No. 1

SO. Even as a journalist, I get nervous interviewing people. Some of these are friends of friends (I didn't know them until today so that counts, right?) and others are strangers I walked up to. I was honest, and I did cut down the videos and just made sure to record that they agreed to be recorded (I usually do that when I interview people). I asked them mostly about what pains them, and little irks about them. And I specifically asked them about parking, because that came up almost always immediately. And then I found the opportunity: a possible parking garage for more student parking! The kinds of people that have a problem with parking at UF are students and faculty.

   

I found the opportunity to ask them about UF parking because I myself have difficulty finding parking! It's a pain. And I learned that it is a shared feeling. To be honest, I've gotten good at asking the right questions, so I didn't come up with a list. For this, I started very general and pinpointed the issue. The hard part came was finding customers. In this case, these are people trying to buy parking on campus, essentially. People, students, who pay for tuition, and now have to pay for decals in order to park, well, anywhere! Unless you love far off-campus...

So yeah. This was my experience interviewing people. It was awkward and strange, but in the end, they were pretty irked by UF parking. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1. For me, the biggest surprise in the reading was seeing that the field of entrepreneurship was shifting because of women becoming a part of it. As the author of the texbook writes, “As a result of the growing number of female entrepreneurs, companies are now examining the ethics of caring.” I didn’t realize that women were affecting the field in a way that kind of challenged the traditional, masculine field.

2. If I could ask the author a question, I’d ask: “In his experience with entrepreneurship, has he seen that following the ‘code of conduct’ has led to entrepreneurs having good business? Does it make a difference?” Because business people in suits have a bad reputation of being the 1 percent, so I wonder, how many of them are morally good people?

3. I disagree with the author about the Entrepreneurial Fear 101. I think anyone who is passionate about what they do can have a similar self-inflicted fear that has a lot to do with failure. As a journalist, I lost sleep over fact errors, and getting things right. I always wonder, when I turn in an article: did I spell that name right? Did I make sure to understand the meaning of the person’s words? As a journalist, I get the trust of people I talk to. It’s my job to get it right. And I think that goes for everyone who works in a field that they're very passionate about. 

The Alligator helps in identifying local opportunities

Here's a list of articles published by the Alligator that help identify issues in our community. 

1. "UF group petitions for SG online voting"

http://www.alligator.org/news/student_government/article_450d397a-7d31-11e5-af52-77a8732ab5d5.html 

Summary: The articles tackles the issue that off-campus students have in not having a vote in Student Government elections. There is a student organization that is hoping to help give off-campus students a voice.

Problem: Students, such as PaCE, who take online classes for two years before coming on campus, or Innovation Academy (who aren't here in the Fall), can't vote via online. 

Who is affected: Online students and off-campus students. 

2. "UF School of Music hanging by a note"

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_d4668472-6b1c-11e5-a3fe-47d11b099eeb.html

Summary: The UF School of Music currentl suffers from a building that isn't made to house their instruments. Professors and students have to resort to other measures to make sure the instruments are safe.

Problem: The UF School of Music is facing funding issues, which results in a lack of renovations for the building. 

Who is affected: Professors, current and potential students of the music school.

3. "Danger Zone: Norman Hall is falling apart, in need of renovations"

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_7de5dea2-8121-11e5-8a96-fb4cc26e4bd9.html

Summary: Reporter takes an in-depth look at the building, which was designed as a k-12 school, but is now used to teach educators of the future. The building is crumbling and lacking in funds. 

Problem: Students and faculty in the building face health risks with asbestos and crumbling walls in Norman Hall. 

Who is affected: Professors, faculty, current and potential students

4. "Students can't dance by stadium" 

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_9481ae34-7df2-11e5-b91b-4f83d04671ad.html

Summary: Students were asked to leave during practices at the stadium. They're no longer able to practice there, despite it not being a problem before. 

Problem: Students must find a new place to practice.

Who is affected: Students who practiced at the stadium

5. "Group advocates for disabilities" 

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_304b0652-844d-11e5-8e15-b79ab954d5dc.html

Summary: A student group organization, Gators for All Abilities, is working to help students with disabilities have a voice. 

Problem: Students with disabilities, both mental and physical, are often overlooked and underrepresented on campus.

Who is affected: Students with a physical or mental disability

Very Short Interview No. 1

Eloy Ochoa has been the owner of "Ochoa Underground Cable Inc.," for 12 years. They drill holes underground and they place PVC pipes to place fiber cables, which help provide cable and Internet to houses. Currently, he has a partnership with Verizon, and is looking to add Google.  

Eloy Ochoa, owner of “Ochoa Underground Cable Inc.”

1. How do you go about establishing your own business?

"We started working the family, his family. I had relatives in field. I started working with them. So I went to work with them."

2. How did you expand your help?

"We’ve done many other business; this was not our first business. The market is bigger, and that means more business. The more you can grow it. Amount of market determines expansion. Now, it’s big. Currently working with Verizon, and looking to add Google, Inc."

3. What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

" I’ll be honest with you, sometimes you don’t make as much money as you would like to make. But the thing, is, you’re your own boss. You’re your own boss, you make your own hours, and I like it.” 

What I learned was, entrepreneurs take pride in working hard and creating a business. Mr. Ochoa was very kind, but he sounded driven. He's looking forward to increasing the market and working with global companies like Verizon and Google. I wasn't at all surprised by him saying he enjoys being his own boss; A lot of times, they go into their own business because they enjoy having control over their schedule, and not having to answer to someone else. He said he's able to schedule and manage his time, and even though the pay isn't always great, he said he enjoys the autonomy of owning his own business. 

My thoughts on the World's Biggest Problems

Below, I've shared what I think are the biggest problems the world faces in these modern days.

1. Climate change. Even if you think global warming is a hoax, there's no denying humans are negatively impacting the Earth by cutting down trees, using nonrenewable resources like fossil fuel and creating greenhouse gases. Countries like China are a prime example of how pollution is impacting our lives negatively (i.e. the smog in Beijing).
Solution: Look to other resources. Find a way to make oil useless and replace it with another source of energy. Stop taking more from this Earth than we can put back.

2. Lack of awareness. As a journalist, this is something I find to be subtle, but very, very dangerous. If my generation is less informed of what's going on in the world, the powerful people in suits will be able to get away with anything and everything.
Solution: Make it important to pay attention. Teach in schools the importance of understanding the governing body off a country or province. Understand how "the system" works.

3. Animal abuse. One of the biggest issues in the world, in my opinion, is the mistreatment of creatures who aren't humans. There's a lack of sympathy for these creatures who are alive and feel and love and can be happy. We shouldn't be stomping on them and treating them like scum.
Solution: Mandate that animals be treated better. Countries are making moves on this, but not a single creature deserves a miserable life.

4. Homeless population. They're people, too. During the colder seasons, we need to be compassionate and help when we can. As a journalist, I feel like part of my job is to inform the public of what they go through.
Solution: Make compassion a norm. If we can change the public view on homeless people, we can create a better world.

5. Lack of nature conservation. This issue ties into climate change, but this is specifically referring to plants and species going extinct because of humans. We've caused the extinction of animals like tortoises and plants like coral reefs through pollution and population increases.
Solution: Pay attention to the other creatures. Create and raise awareness.

6. Population expansion. There are 7.125 BILLION people on this Earth. And while I don't think we should do any kind of "ethnic cleansing" or mass genocide, we need to keep in mind that this Earth is a precious resource that we can't run into the ground.
Solution: Have people consider other options, like using birth control, or adoption (versus having a big family).

7. Healthcare. In some countries, it's a privilege. In others, it's a right. I think the U.S. is behind on healthcare. Currently, many Americans face the issue of not having health insurance or paying a lot of money for not-so-great insurance.
Solution: Create a system that benefits everyone, with the lowest possible cost. It can be done.

8. Body Image. In many countries, there's a standard of beauty for both men and women. Many times, those standards are very unrealistic. The media portray a certain type of beauty, and many adolescents are vulnerable to believing everything they see.
Solution: Limit the amount and type of enhancements that create a misrepresentation of people's bodies. Stop digitally enhancing everything, or at least limit it.

Here is a popular example of this. The model was given a pretty extreme "thigh gap."


9. World hunger. In many countries, families and kids and adults face the fear of dying from malnutrition. In others, people eat too much.
Solution: Find a way to spread it even.

10. Refugees. There's a fairly common idea that refugees are terrorists, refugees are here to take our benefits, steal our lives and family. They are people who lost their homes and have nowhere else to go.
Solution: Open our arms and embrace them into our lives. We need to be compassionate to each other, as human beings.

Week 2 reading reflection

Before I started reading the first chapter, I was preparing myself for a dull, lengthy chapter. I can honestly say I was happily surprised by how interesting the material was. Also, how much of an easy read it was.

I was confused about the macro and micro school of thoughts.

If I could ask the author a question, I would ask: out of all the characteristics he listed for entrepreneurs to have, which one does he think is the most important to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

The author, Donald F. Kuratko, idolizes entrepreneurs. And while he may be right, I think that’s very much an opinion. It can be argued that the conditions for entrepreneurship, free enterprise and capitalism, also create a polarized world of the rich and entrepreneurial and the poor. While the entrepreneur does need to be hardworking and an aggressive catalyst for change, I don’t think all them are good. A lot of people just want to find a way to make easy money, which hurts everyone else. I disagree with on the author also on the point that anyone can be an entrepreneur. While it does take a lot of time and energy, opportunity is a key to becoming a successful entrepreneur. And if you have a family of entrepreneurs, you have an easier chance of having the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. 

The 20 things that made my Bug List

1. It bugs me when I’m out eating with friends and they chew with their mouth open, or they speak with food in their mouth. Why? I don’t enjoy the sight of their masticated food and asking them to repeat what they said because I couldn’t understand what they were saying around the chewed up piece of steak.

2. It bugs me when I have to repeat myself more than twice, especially over the phone when I’m doing phone interviews because I don’t know whether to enunciate clearer or speak ladder.

3. It bugs me when people have terrible grammar, both written and verbal, especially if they’re trying to get a point across.

4. It bugs me when I have to wake up early in the morning to move my car from the Orange decal section behind Beaty Towers because the Red 1 spaces are full. Why? I already pay thousands of dollars in tuition, and I find it ridiculous that I have to move my car so I won’t get a ticket. UF doesn’t deserve more of my money.

5. It bugs me when the laundry detergent I use doesn’t smell as great as I thought it did in the store. Why? It’s misleading, and I really like fresh-smelling clothes.

6. It bugs me when it’s early in the morning and I’m trying to get out the door, and I have to figure out a way to squeeze the last bit of it out. Why? Because I paid for the toothpaste, and I also want to use every last bit of it.

7. It bugs me when I’m in the shower, and I have to shake a bottle of body wash until some of it comes out. Why? Because I’m wasting time and water.

8. It bugs me when my laptop automatically restarts itself because it needs to install updates, which can take up to 20 minutes, right when I need it the most.  Why? Because when I’m writing on deadline and I have an hour to write a story, it’s tough when my laptop decides to take a nap.

9. It bugs me when I have wake up and my dorm is freezing because my roommate decides to move the thermometer to the coldest level. Why? Cold temperatures make it so much harder for me to wake up.

10. It bugs me when I have to make the choice between face wash with microbeads, which are bad for the environment, or a skin-drying face wash. Why? There should be other options readily available in stores like Wal-Mart and Publix.

11. It bugs me when I have to pay for things like tampons and panty liners on a regular basis. Why? I don’t think people should be making a profit off of something women all over the world can’t control.

12. It bugs me when I feel the need to constantly look over my should when I’m outside walking any time past 6:30 p.m. Why? Because it was instilled in me at a young age that women need to be wary of all men.

13. It bugs me when I’m working on a story and I’m having a hard time finding sources, especially on Wednesdays. Why? Because I have class all day and I have to squeeze interviews in between classes.

14. It bugs me when my friends make jokes that are offensive to genders. Why? I think that’s why people think it’s okay to hit a girl when you’re a kid “because it means he likes you” or when you expect a guy to pay for a dinner because it’s “chivalrous.” I think small things like jokes breed inappropriate behavior, and it negatively impacts both genders.

15. It bugs me when I’m at a public restroom and there’s a leaky faucet and I can’t figure out a way to turn it off. Why? It’s a waste of water.

16. It bugs me when I’m driving from Gainesville to my hometown, Naples, and I have my phone connected to Bluetooth, so I know when I receive a text, but it only allows me to pick a response without picking up my phone instead of letting me create one. Why? I don’t like texting and driving, but the four-hour car ride gives me enough time to become bored multiple times.

17. It bugs me when I’m trying to study in the Marston library, which is always packed, and I leave to go to the bathroom, and I come back to find that my chair is gone. Why? I either have to pack up and leave or hunt down the person who stole my chair.

18. It bugs me when I’m practicing soccer at Norman Field and this one hole at the top of the net lets the ball roll away from me. Why? Because I have to chase after to ball multiple times, despite getting the ball in the net.

19. It bugs me when I’m in line for coffee at the Starbucks in the Reitz Union on Tuesday afternoons after class and the line spills into the courtyard.

20. It bugs me when I’m interviewing people in-person, and I’m scribbling down notes like a madwoman and my ink runs dry! Why? I have to tell the person I’m interviewing to pause while I get a new pen so I make sure I get the quote down correctly. 

Going through 20 things that bug me, and then explaining why they bug me, helped me realize the scope of things that bothered me. 

My Entrepreneur Story

As a staff writer for the Alligator, a student-run paper here in Gainesville, I meet a lot of people every day. This year, I spoke on the phone with UF alumni Nikhil “Nik” and Anjali Kundra. They created Partender, and after graduating from UF a few years ago, they successfully launched their application.

While I didn’t necessarily meet them, I had an hour-long phone conversation with them about their success story. And then I got to write about it.

The hardest part about being a journalist is gathering great information, but knowing you can’t put it all in. For instance, in the article, I wrote about how their professor helped them polish the concept, but I didn't have the word count to put in the story about how they found out they made the "2016 30 Under 30: Food and Drink," or how they were influenced by Josh Greenberg, another UF alumnus who left a big impact on the school. 

Josh Greenberg passed away last summer. I had the chance to cover his memorial service at UF, which I wrote about here. 

I never knew him in life, but from what I heard and what I was told, he was a great entrepreneur who changed the lives of many. 

I took this picture at the event. I'll be honest with you, covering memorials is always hard. It's a very sensitive place, where people are saying goodbye to someone they cared about. 

But out of it, comes a beautiful story of a guy who changed lives. I've found that the entrepreneur field is close knit, in a sense. Everyone knows everyone. 

What I hope to get from this class is to think outside the box when it comes to stories. I want to be a journalist who asked the right questions to get the answers that matter. I want to find new ways to tell stories, but with words. I'm passionate about what I do, and I hope that comes through in writing. 

My introduction to all my loyal followers - and professor

Hello! 

Now if you're reading this, you're either a loyal follower, a wandering blogger, or a professor/TA of ENT3003. 

Either way, thanks for reading! 

I’m a second year journalism student, covering Student Government for the Alligator this semester. This past fall semester, I was able to intern at the Naples Daily News because I met a senior at UF who pushed me to send an email. Because of that moment, I able to land the internship.

I’m from Naples, Florida, where you’re rich and retired or you serve the rich and retired. The public school system there is… difficult about getting information from as a journalist, which I’m learning as I’m working on a story about a bus driver. 

Let's see. I've been to Spain, Thailand and Mexico, each for different reasons. I went to Spain last August with friends, but Thailand was two years ago, where I traveled abroad to help small communities out. My mother is from Mexico, so we go one every five years to see family. 

I love traveling. It's a dream of mine, and I hope to combine that with my passion of sharing the stories of others through journalism. 

I like to play soccer, I’m bilingual and I’m still reading the Harry Potter series. I'm a fairly straightforward person because I have a deep appreciation for the truth. Does my hair look like a mess? Thank you for telling me! 

If you have any story ideas, or just know someone with an interesting story, I'd love to hear about them. 

I'm always looking for colorful people to write about and share to the world. I'm all ears, all the time. 

Also, here's a picture of my absolute favorite animal and me. 

Thailand, 2013. The day I fell in love with creatures 10 times my size.

(Photo credits to Lauren Elyce).

Second Post: The Entrepreneur Mantra

First blog of 2016

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