Although my trip to Austria served a great purpose, I only wished I could have predicted the workload that would have been assigned to me upon my return. Still working to align myself with the fast-paced courses while persevering through marching band and its demanding schedule, actions towards achieving goals regarding my passion had been put on hold. However, as I have now accustomed myself to the dynamic schedule that I had forgotten on my trip, I have repositioned myself to be back on track in constantly pursuing ambitious aims in relation to social entrepreneurship and impact investments.

With business symposium acting as the center of my ISM activity this week, I was able to effectively network with a multitude of unique ISM students from all over Frisco who, in addition to pursuing entrepreneurship, are also involved in other fields and interests. In addition, I was able to connect with professionals as well, successfully connecting with a wealth manager, a marketing professional, and a recruiter, each professional serving to my benefit in a unique manner. I also gained exposure to the complex realm of self-branding as I interacted with a branding expert, receiving helpful criticism on my working resume.

This event, for which I was primarily underprepared, helped me realize the importance of proactive planning while taking each event one step at a time, both important qualities when individual attempt to get back into the flow of daily activities. Additionally, my absence from ISM had hindered my ability to actively connect with professionals, so returning and making myself comfortable with my daily schedule once again allowed me to continue connecting and interacting with professionals.

Looking forward into the near future, I plan on meeting with a couple of other entrepreneurship professionals to gain first-hand knowledge on creating a professional business plan. In addition, I want to reach out to professionals in the field of waste management, mainly targeting professionals who work for the city, to learn about the processes used by city planners in effectively disposing of waste. Moreover, I will attempt to connect with research professionals in the field of environmental engineering and organic chemistry to establish fundamental groundwork for the expertise behind the creation of my final product or service. All in all, these approaches, in addition with the work I have already completed, will help me combine my business acumen with acquired technical knowledge, cultivating into a high-quality original product.