15A

Interview 1 was done with one of my friends who is a Sustainability major. He has done a significant amount of research on them and different types of solutions, so I thought his expertise on the issue would be very beneficial to my own research. He said that the most important question is going to be about convenience. He explained that transportation is already a huge part of the issue of food deserts so this is going to be most important. 

My second interview was with my mom who is a nutrition specialist. She had a unique perspective on the issue of food deserts because of what she does. She was able to help me really emphasize the need for a product like this. Using the science behind it, I can develop a better sense of credibility when pitching my idea to investors. 

My third interview was with another one of my friends from a rural area. She explained that getting groceries was not a difficult issue for her and her family because they had access to transportation, however she understood its importance. I think this was a really interesting perspective to have on the issue as she has known people who have struggled with this before. 

After talking to others with a different perspective, I am learning a lot about the needs of people in rural counties. I think my product could definitely be beneficial with the correct and most efficient implementation. 

16A

I think that the things that make me most unique are my positivity, my drive to create change, and communication skills. My past experiences have allowed me to grow and develop these and that is something I hope to continue. 

My Stepdad: My stepdad highlighted my communication skills. This was unsurprising to me as he and I frequently work on writing projects together

My mom: My mom noted my memory and ability to make people feel special as something specific to me. She also noted my passion and positivity. 

Francis: Francis explained that my ability to motivate others is one of my strongest traits. Like my mom, she also highlighted how I am a passionate person

Jessica: Jessica has known me for years and noted my attention to detail. I thought this was interesting as my mom said something very similar.

Tyler: Tyler talked about how hard I try to stay positive. This is something we talk about a lot so I thought it was nice that he mentioned that. 

I have to agree with what my friends and family members said about what makes me unique. I had not really thought of my ability to memorize things such as birthdays and holidays as such a positive trait that makes people feel special so I thought it was nice that that was mentioned. This is something I would add to my list in part 1.

https://soundcloud.com/megan-wordell-79051200/interviews

https://soundcloud.com/megan-wordell-79051200/megan-interview-1

https://soundcloud.com/megan-wordell-79051200/megan-interview-2

14A

1. I have developed a sense of innovation and perseverance in this course. When choosing a topic for my main entrepreneurship venture, I really had to think out of the box and find solutions to various issues that were important to me. I learned perseverance when I was swamped with homework this semester and kept working hard, knowing it would pass.
2. I felt like giving up this semester after a health related emergency. I had to miss several days of class and fell behind in these assignments. Unfortunately I was unable to make things up on time and it was frustrating. However, I knew that I had to keep pushing forward or things would just get worse. I feel like I am getting closer to becoming tenacious.
3. Three tips I would give students in this class would be to work ahead so you don’t get overwhelmed, choose a topic you’re passionate about to make the work fun, and always ask for help when you need it. 

13A

1) You read about an entrepreneur: I chose to read about Steve Jobs in “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

• What surprised you the most? I was most surprised about the way they chose the name of the company! Apple is such a seemingly random specific name so hearing the back story to that was really interesting.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? A quote in the book really stuck out to me: the people who are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do. This spirit of perseverance and determination to make the world a better place is most inspiring to me.

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? Honestly I do not think there is any quality I don’t admire about Steve Jobs!

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? Steve Jobs is the perfect example of an entrepreneur who while did not find success every time, was able to grow from failures and bring projects to fruition. When faced with brutal competition he continued to persevere and ultimately that is how he found his eventual success 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? I absolutely admire his drive to succeed and his perseverance when faced with challenges and competition.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. I have actually read this book before! While it has been a few years since I first read it, I didn’t really find Jobs’ story to be confusing. Everything was fairly straightforward and interesting to read.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? I would first ask him if there was ever a time that was so difficult he did not think his business would make it. Secondly, I would ask him about how he found balance working such a successful career.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? He absolutely supported the efforts of hard work and knew that that was the only way to succeed. I 100% share this opinion.

12A

The segment that I believe would benefit most from my product is someone from a rural county. I chose to interview several people from nearby rural counties including Bradford and Levy counties, both of which are only approximately half an hour to an hour away from UF. I found that most interesting because of the abundance of options we have so close to campus compared to food deserts in rural counties only a short drive away. I have recently taken a trip to Levy county for my introduction to health disparities class, so I was familiar with the options or namely the lack of options for affordable, accessible healthy fruits and vegetables, but it was very interesting to hear about what it was like to actually live there. My interviewees described rural life as a simple one, with only a few convenience stores and what seems like more churches than houses. They described the landscape as very open with sometimes miles of space between houses. 

After conducting these interviews I can conclude that there is definitely a need for more accessible and affordable healthy options in rural areas. It would be important to establish a proper schedule for the portable farmers market in order to ensure accessibility for the ideal consumer 

11A

1. Hey ENT friends! My name is Megan Wordell and I am a rising junior in the Innovation Academy majoring in Political Science and Journalism with minors in Innovation and Sociology. A few of my talents include trying to be funny on Twitter, political organizing, and most of all I can eat a whole jar of frosting in one sitting! My more comical skills and experiences probably won’t be very useful in this project but they help me make light of more serious issues, such as the one my project is based around. While I don’t know my specific aspirations, helping people in some aspect of their life is very important to me and I think my values of empathy and compassion will really come through in this. 

 I am offering a stable source of affordable, healthy, and most importantly accessible foods to customers in rural food deserts 

My ideal customer is someone, perhaps a family, living in a rural area, with a shortage of access to local health options. I am mainly focused on fulfilling these needs in food desert areas.

Customers will care because this is a cost effective way for them to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

I think a few of my core competences include my professional communication skills and strong leadership style. I have had the chance through group projects in the past to expand upon both of these and it has really shaped the way I collaborate. Additionally, a few of my core values include empathy and compassion, both of with are related to helping the needs of others 

I feel that all of these competencies, skills, ideas, and values, will all mesh well together with my project topic. My work in politics and passion for humans rights issues is also directly related to this assignment; I learned about food deserts in one of my sociology classes, and it was the main source of a lot of my research for this project. I will be able to combine my passions for these issues with the skills I have gained in other works to bring this project to fruition.

Elevator Pitch 1

9A: Fighting Health Disparities and Food Deserts

Who: This innovation would help people living in food deserts in rural counties. However, people that never leave their house would not be able to access the portable farmers markets as they would be at particular events. Additionally, since there are so many churches in several Florida rural counties, I would have the markets often form there. If people do not attend these services, they would not be able to access this particular one. 

What: This innovation would attack a lack of access to fresh, healthy, and convenient foods and food sources. Its purpose is to change this in order to fight rural health disparities. Other factors including health literacy also play a part in these disparities, which would not be impacted by this nonprofit

Why: differing underlying causes could be a lack of education, choice to live a rural lifestyle, live on a farm and have access to ingredients

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is In: Rural residents who attend community events	Who is Not: urban poor, rural residents not active in community
What the Need Is: access to fresh ingredients in food deserts	What the Need Is Not: helping with affordability specifically
Why the Need Exists: lack of accessibility and grocery stores	Alternative Explanations: choice to live rural lifestyle

8A

Problem: Food Deserts. In 2009 2.3 million Americans lived over a mile form a supermarket and did not own a car, severely limiting their access to fresh, healthy foods. “Food deserts” have significant impacts on health and contribute to health disparities, specifically in rural communities 

Solution: a nonprofit type farmers market that brings food to main community buildings such as churches once a week after services