Before the start of this semester, I had the chance to participate in Winterim which is a week-long series of workshops, events, and group work that culminates in a business pitch competition to a panel of judges. It was a fantastic experience, where I met amazing LC alums, portland community members, and other students. The Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership is the center on campus that promotes entrepreneurship on campus, and they provide so many great opportunities.
We started off the week with a night of team bonding and a crazy scavenger hunt in downtown portland where we had to play twister, take photos with lampshades on our heads, take peanut butter out of a jar with our hands, and so much more. It was a great icebreaker and it got everyone talking and working together, and it was a great start to the week. That night over dinner we heard a presentation from local entrepreneurs and business owners with advice for how to make the most of Winterim and their personal experiences. The week was only uphill from there. Every day we started off with breakfast, and then it was a day full of presentations, group work time, and meetings with mentors. Even mealtimes were jam-packed with information whether it was talking with teammates or hearing from the alums who donated the food, we never wasted a moment.
One of my favorite moments though was the night before the big pitch competition when we were practicing our pitch in one of the common rooms just hanging out in our pajamas, having a good time with each other, and slowly getting better at our presentation. After my group's week of hard work, I'm proud to say my group came in second for Best Pitch, with our idea for "Sojourn" a narrated road trip audio guide that highlights local history and small businesses. We got really helpful feedback from all the judges, and they all really believed in our ability to start a business for real and be successful.
The Bates Center describes winterim like this:
"Whether you want to start a new organization, work for an existing one, or are simply curious and motivated, you will benefit from this week. We assign you into groups of three or four to create, research, develop and pitch an idea. You will learn entrepreneurial and life-skills amidst inspirational speakers, mentors, and leaders in the for-profit and nonprofit professional community.Prior entrepreneurial experience or an idea required? No.Motivation, curiosity, and commitment to fully participate required? Yes."
As part of winterim they bring in mentors, often LC alums, to help guide you in refining your business idea and your pitch. My team's mentor was an amazing woman who cared so much about us succeeding and really wanted to get to know us as people too. At the end of the program, she gave us all personalized cards tailored to the business idea we were working on. And just last Sunday morning she invited us over to her house to have lunch with her and her husband, and after several hours of good conversation (and delicious coffee cake) we left with promises to help up prepare for job interviews, and they made us promise to keep them updated on our upcoming jobs and study abroad adventures. It was really a heartwarming experience to see her and so many other Alums come together to support the winterim program. It made me really proud to go to a school where so many people still cared a lot about current students and wanted to give back to the school. That's the kind of alum I want to be after I graduate.
Lastly, one of the other great benefits of doing the program is that by the end of the week I could finally spell entrepreneurship and only have to think about it for a little bit. If you want to learn more about the programs that the Bates Center puts on, I suggest checking out these links below, and exploring the Lewis & Clark website!
Winterim
Lunch with a leader
Seed Funding
If you have any questions or want to chat about life at L&C, email me at quentin.gaul@lclark.edu