Honors 295: Global Perspectives and Social Innovation

I liked this class quite a bit. We got to work with students from Zwolle, Netherlands to brainstorm and create an original, profitable, and socially helpful product. Then we would flesh it out with a design and business model and present it in front of faculty from both Longwood and Zwolle.

Besides getting my creativity flowing, this class really stretched my teamwork skills. We were divided into groups of five with three of them being dutch students. It is hard enough to do a group project with five students from Longwood, let alone three students who are six hours ahead of you, working when you’re sleeping and sleeping when you’re working. On a creative project like this one, it is difficult to listen and incorporate everyone’s ideas. I had to take on leadership after we wasted the first third of our project time because no one was willing to step up. This class has improved my teamwork skills and I have become a better teammate in the classes thereafter.

I have also now been given the opportunity to talk about my experiences in Boston for the Honors National Conference, I have never been to Boston before so I am very excited to go and am thankful to have been given the opportunity thanks to this class.

For my artifact, it only makes sense to make it our powerpoint presentation on our innovative project. It is a weighted jacket that people can wear seamlessly without attracting attention to help with anxiety and to calm people down, especially those who struggle with autism.