Would you like to be recognized as a UF Social Impact & Sustainability (SIS) Impact Scholar?
 
Have you completed the Study, Practice, and Create Impact requirements?
Are you now ready to tell your Impact Story? 
 
Students who have studied impact, practiced impact, created impact, and shared their impact story during their time at UF can look forward to receiving a certificate for their achievements as well as graduation cords. You will also be recognized at the annual Celebration of Entrepreneurship Awards event. 
 
The first step towards becoming a UF SIS Impact Scholar involves completing the "intent to complete" form so we can help you stay in the loop with opportunities to get involved as well as reminders & updates to help you reach your goal of becoming a UF SIS Impact Scholar. If you have not done so already, complete the UF SIS Impact Scholars Intent to Complete form linked here.
 
After you've completed the requirements in order to be awarded as a UF SIS Impact Scholar (as explained here: http://bit.ly/UF_SIS_Impact_Scholars), you'll need to submit your Impact Scholar Report (the online form you're reading now) by the deadline below: 

  -November 15 (for students graduating in Fall)
  -March 15 (for students graduating in Spring) - note Spring 2020 Grads: the deadline is extended through 12pm noon on Monday May 4th.
  -July 1 (for students graduating in Summer)

Please note that SurveyMonkey requires you to complete this all in one sitting, if you're not ready to do so, please return later. We recommend taking time to compose & edit your responses in a document saved on your own computer and after you're happy with your responses, paste them here for submission (to spare you the frustration & disappointment of technical problems, etc.). If you submit more than once, we will only count your most complete submission.
 
Questions/Concerns? Contact us at impactscholars@warrington.ufl.edu :) 

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* 1. Contact Information

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* 2. In what semester will you graduate?

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* 3. Tell us how you studied impact: Which semester did you take and pass (or are currently taking) Intro to Social Entrepreneurship (ENT3503 / ENT6506)?

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* 4. Tell us how you practiced impact by working as a consultant on experiential learning project for a for-profit or nonprofit venture in the greater-Gainesville community. Examples of how you could have met this requirement to practice impact are here: http://bit.ly/UF_SIS_Impact_Scholars

We'd like you to share your story in two parts.

First, please tell us about the consulting project on which you worked (with  a focus on the impact this project had on your life):
  1. Which of the options listed in the link above did you choose?  
  2. What did you do?
  3. What did you learn?
  4. How did this experience impact your life? 

Then, please tell us about how the consulting project on which you worked (with a focus on the impact this project had on your business/nonprofit/community partner(s)). Share a bit about the business/nonprofit/community partner(s):
  1. What is their name?
  2. What is their mission?
  3. What products or services do they provide and who are their customers/constituents?
  4. Which social/environmental/economic issue(s) does their business aim to address and how do they intend to solve/reduce it?
  5. What year did they launch?
  6. What were the goals for your work with them?
  7. What need(s) or challenge(s) did your project address?
  8. What were your deliverables?
  9. How did the work you do positively impact your business/nonprofit/community partner(s)?
  10. Additionally, if they gave you positive feedback about your work and the impacts you helped to create, please share them here.

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* 5. Tell us how you created impact by engaging on campus & in the community.  Examples of how you could have met this requirement to create impact are here: http://bit.ly/UF_SIS_Impact_Scholars

Which of the options listed in the link above did you choose?
What did you do?
What did you learn?
How did this experience impact your life?

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* 6. Tell us your Impact Story! Use this sample script to use as a starting point:  
  • Name
  • Year in school, what you are studying
  • Before my SIS Impact Scholar experience… (talk about things like your knowledge of social entrepreneurship, social impact & sustainability, sustainable business, B Corps, changemaking, etc., what you use to think of "business as usual"/the role of business in the world, what your career plans were)
  • Since participating in the UF Social Impact & Sustainability Initiative... or Because of the SIS Impact Scholars… (what you learned, how you grew, how this inspired you to…)
  • In the future I aspire to... or my future plans include....
  • Please close with a six word story about your experience (implying you now consider yourself to be a changemaker). 

The story below can be used as a template, replacing the bold sections with your own responses:

My name is Abbey Taub. I am from Tampa, Florida and I am currently a senior studying Telecommunication-News at the University of Florida.

Before taking Dr. Joys' Intro to Social Entrepreneurship course I'd never heard of Social Entrepreneurship and thought Entrepreneurs were motivated by a desire to make a lot of money. I also had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

After taking her Intro to Social Entrepreneurship course in my sophomore year, I began to consider myself a changemaker: I launched a nonprofit organization called Cooking for a Cause that prepared meals for residents of the Ronald McDonald House. I was also fortunate to intern in Washington, D.C. at NBC’s “Meet the Press” during the  Presidential elections.

I now plan to pursue a career with a major network producing stories about the impact of social entrepreneurs, following in the footsteps of prominent journalists like David Bornstien of the Solutions Journalism Network or Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times.

My six word story: Because of UF's-SIS-Initiative, I have purpose.

(note: she fudged a bit with the hyphenated terms in her six word story, but it works... you're welcome to do something similarly creative)

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* 7. One of my favorite articles was published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, by Scott Sherman entitled “Teaching the Key Skills of Successful Social Entrepreneurs.” In the article, Dr. Sherman discusses the findings of his dissertation research; he identifies seven key skillsets & mindsets of successful changemakers & leaders:
  1. Leadership. These people take initiative and action to solve problems (rather than complaining about what’s wrong).
  2. Optimism. These people are confident that they can achieve a bold vision, even when many other people doubt them. They have a strong sense of self-efficacy and a belief that they have control to change their circumstances.
  3. Grit. This is a combination of perseverance, passion, and hard work—the relentless drive to achieve goals, complete commitment to achieving their task.
  4. Resilience in the face of adversities, obstacles, challenges, and failures. When things fall apart, these people rise to the occasion. They thrive in the most ferocious storms. They see failures as valuable feedback.
  5. Creativity and innovation. These people see new possibilities and think in unconventional ways. They see connections and patterns where few other people would imagine.
  6. Empathy. These people are able to put themselves in the shoes of others, and imagine perspectives other than their own; this is one of the most valuable qualities for understanding the needs of others whom they serve.
  7. Emotional and social intelligence. These people are excellent at connecting with others and building strong relationships.

In Spring 2019, Ashoka U. published a guide titled “Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing World: Social Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, and Changemaker Learning Outcomes” focused on 5 competencies & learning outcomes of students to create impacts that are innovative, adaptive, resilient, and sustainable:
  1. Systems Thinking/Design Thinking/Human Centered Design
  2. Empathy
  3. Teamwork & Collaboration
  4. Creative Problem Solving
  5. Leadership
(from Ashoka U. https://ashokau.org/about/what-we-do/ & https://ashokau.org/blog/three-ways-learning-outcomes-can-increase-your-impact)

The purpose of the SIS Impact Scholars program is to help UF students develop & practice the key skillsets, mindsets, and competencies of successful changemakers & leaders (whether we focus on the first list of seven or the second list of five, or some combination of the two lists).

Please share a detailed, thoughtful, thorough reflection integrating all you learned while engaging in learning, practicing, and creating impact as a UF SIS Impact Scholar. Please be sure to explicitly mention at least three of the competencies/learning outcomes listed above.

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* 8. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experience as one of UF's first SIS Impact Scholars? 

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* 9. Lastly, please type your name *exactly* as you'd like for it to appear on your Award Certificate:

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