The following essay was written by Jessica Cohen, a high school student participating in a U.S.-Israel Social Entrepreneurship Program cosponsored by the Rady School of Business at UCSD and the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. Between the period of April 13 and June 1, Cohen and other students in the program will attend five workshops on entrepreneurship and also work independently on devising social entrepreneurships in their community. At the end of the program, participants will make presentations on their initiatives, with one to be awarded a $1,000 prize by the Consulate General of Israel.
By Jessica Cohen
SAN DIEGO — Passion is a driving force. A force that has driven social entrepreneurship for centuries; from Susan B. Anthony fighting for women’s rights to Theodor Herzl’s dedication to creating a homeland for the Jewish people to Richard Wurman’s innovation of TED talks. Social entrepreneurship is a process through which individuals become empowered to take an issue and make a difference.
Social entrepreneurship is about identifying problems and changing the world for the better. At my local high school, I noticed the lack of experience and knowledge freshman in the Junior Model United Nations Program (JMUN) exhibited at the mock United Nations Conference run by my school. I decided that the best way to resolve this issue was to begin a JMUN Program at the middle school to act as a feeder program into the high school. For the past two years I have trained students and while the success of the delegates in the high school improves, so does the interest of middle school students.
Through this experience, I learned that when I take the time to teach students about current events they not only benefit from my lessons, but also take the initiative to better their own education as well as spread what they learned to other students. In the subsequent years, some of my current delegates intend to take over the JMUN middle school program in order for it to be continued for years to come.
A sage once saidd: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Through finding sustainable means to solve issues, whether it is through education or otherwise, social entrepreneurs are capable of improving the world today and for generations to come. This is what I want to continue to be, a social entrepreneur who leaves a lasting footprint on the world and helps allow others to leave theirs as well.
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