Erasing Stereotypes of Wellesley (E.S.O.W.)– Megan Shinnick
Babson volunteers teach middle school and high school children how to organize and run a business. Erasing Stereotypes of Wellesley (E.S.O.W.) is a non-profit organization run by these students in the Barton Road Entrepreneurship Program.
I often get the question, what do you like to do? Every time I get this question, I include my love for acting, singing, and spending time with my family. To me, family is a group of people who are always there for you, no matter what. The people you can talk to about anything in the world, and can trust you as well. I’m the type of person who doesn’t easily trust people. The reason I LOVE spending 6 hours a week with my mentors from Babson and the other kids who learn with me, is that I genuinely trust every single one of them. If I am having a horrible day, the second I walk in the door, every one of my mentors can tell something is wrong and immediately ask if I want to talk about it. I am so thankful for the support system I have made through this experience. Daquan Oliver never fails to give me wise advice about anything and everything. In my opinion, learning about business and being a young entrepreneur is about so much more than the business itself. Through this program, I have learned social skills I will carry on with me for the rest of my life. Of course, I learned about business things, like profit, target markets, and effective advertising, but the social skills are what I believe I have truly gained. Before joining this program, I wasn’t particularly quiet. Most people I know would laugh if I said I was, because of my very loud personality. Though I wasn’t afraid to talk loudly, or crack a joke, there was no way I would stand up in front of people and do a rocket pitch, or try to sell to someone I had never met. After the entrepreneurship program entered my life, I have improved greatly in those areas. In my eyes, this program is setting me up for my future. I am learning things about business that even some college students don’t know. The mentors I have effectively teach us these things because they all took the time to get to know us individually. After a 7-hour school day, I look forward to another 2 hours of learning, just because of the relationships I have with my mentors. I truly believe that this program has made me a leader, and a better person. For that, I will always be grateful.
–Megan Shinnick, Wellesley High School Class of 2016