Social Entrepreneurship
Ohio Wesleyan Students Visit Amsterdam to Explore How Businesses Work for Good
Name: Aj Jalloh '27
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
High School: Beechcroft High School
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Psychology and Entrepreneurship
OWU Connection Experience: Completing "Social Entrepreneurship" (Business 260), a Travel-Learning Course featuring a semester-long class followed by a two-week trip to the Netherlands to explore the topic firsthand in Amsterdam
In his syllabus for the Travel-Learning Course (TLC), Professor Cliff Hurst states: "This course wades into this still-evolving concept known as social entrepreneurship to introduce students to this new way of thinking – a way of thinking that builds upon a synthesis between business principles and the pursuit of social and environmental 'good.'"
In addition to Jalloh, students traveling to the Netherlands were Lane Elliott '27 of Cardington, Ohio; Mary Garcia '28 of Dublin, Ohio; Diana Huaracha-Arellanos '26 of Lewis Center, Ohio; Luke Johnson '27 of Amelia, Ohio; Emma Luft '26 of Columbus, Ohio; Braden Saeler '27 of St. Marys, Ohio; Carolina Sola '28 of Gallipolis, Ohio; and Chase Steininger '27 of New Albany, Ohio. They traveled with Hurst, Ph.D., assistant professor of Economics and Business, and Hanna Burr, assistant director of International and Off-Campus Programs.
OWU brought me a real-life experience, and hopefully there's more to come before I graduate.
Why This Opportunity?
"It was a chance for me to finally travel internationally alone," Jalloh said. "My entire life I've always wanted to travel the world and explore more of it but never got the opportunity. OWU brought me a real-life experience, and hopefully there's more to come before I graduate."
Lessons Learned
"This trip helped expand my knowledge about the meaning of social entrepreneurship because of all the different unique businesses I saw. They weren't just like your ordinary product. These entrepreneurs did market research on either what was popular in their hometown or an item or source of something that was scarce and could be turned into a profitable thing.
"One thing they all mentioned is that if you have an idea or product, do it; don't be afraid to fail because nothing is perfect, and they all started from a place of nothing and built their way up. I've always loved hearing people say that because it gives you, like, a leap of faith and a reason to want to take action on something.
One thing this in-person experience really helped me to understand is that your product, whatever that may be, isn't for everyone, and it doesn't have to be. But once you figure out who and where your sales are coming from, then expand on that and keep your revenue coming in. But overall, I just really enjoyed seeing the different businesses, from Tony's Chocolonely Factory to Denim City, a jeans store, and lastly any biking company since they are always in such high demand because people own more bikes than cars, but in the U.S., it's the opposite."
My Favorite Moment
"My favorite moment was the bike tour, just seeing the city from a localist perspective. Bikes are their main way of traveling, and not only did we ride bikes as if we were one of them, but we also toured the whole city with the popular areas and the less popular areas."
My Travel Tip
"Something that I learned abroad was that navigation isn't just a skill you're equipped with. You have to learn the routes and familiarize yourself with the ways of travel and where you're going. Coming from someone who had no (cellphone) service, I always stayed close to someone with service and always paid attention to where I was going so that if I needed to retrace my steps, I could. I also learned a new word, 'mokum,' which means 'safe haven' in Amsterdam."
My Campus Involvements
"I am a track & field athlete, as well as being part of the Marketing Club and the Investment Club."
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
"I chose to attend Ohio Wesleyan because of how much they helped me and made me feel welcome. … From a financial standpoint, OWU helped lower my costs, gave me scholarships, and so much more."
My Plans After Graduation
"My goal after graduation is to work for a program through our Office of International and Off-Campus Programs, where I would go abroad for two years and work in Europe with people who don't speak English as a first language and be there to help them with that."
