itsjhaile-blog

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Process Reflection

Dear diary,

What a long and winding road. I’m very proud of our final pitch, but as they say, the destination is nothing when compared to the journey. So let’s reflect. 

The most valuable aspect of this project has been the opportunity to observe how my teammates, each talented in such unique ways, and each with such different life experiences, brought their individual perspectives to the table. Maria, Emi, and Ishmael have such varied and diverse styles of problem solving, and the chance to learn about each of them and observe their work has been fascinating. 

Our topic was big. Maybe too big. But that’s how we each like it - no easy challenges here. Each phase of the problem solving process was valuable to us, and the tools that each team member brought to the table were invaluable as we made our way from “What about solving poverty or something? Let’s revitalize a city” to the more specific “Made In Cleveland” campaign.  

One skill that was especially valuable (once we got the hang of it) was the ability to say “this is a divergent thinking phase, let’s go nuts” or “this is a convergent phase, let’s make some tough decisions.” Having that conversation at the beginning of each meeting and setting specific quantifiable goals (let’s each bring 30 ideas / let’s leave this meeting with just three ideas we would each be happy moving forward with) was great. 

I look forward to applying the skills I’ve learned through this project to other challenges I face in the future!

That’s all for now, diary. Keep in touch.

Jon

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Evaluation

Dear Diary,

We have had some issues with the scope of our concept. That is to say that our recent ability to whittle it down to an executable set of deliverables is (if I say so myself) commendable. So in that respect, I feel that our performance has been successful.

Having decided that we are essentially executing a marketing campaign, we are beginning to put pen to paper (or stylus to tablet, as the case may be) to give the campaign life. 

We are crafting messaging. We are mocking up websites and print advertisements. We are trying to approach our topic with fresh eyes and understand what a member of the uneducated (as to our subject) entrepreneurial public would find compelling. 

Our group has an openness of conversation that is really conducive to constructive feedback. We video chat regularly and every suggestion is always open to critique and an opportunity for improvement. 

If we get lost in the weeds, we always refer back to our problem statement and our team norms -- essentially what we are doing and how we are going to do it. 

The volume of research we have done is certainly a blessing. We are working to craft a pipeline that captures a business owner’s attention, educates them, and then convinces them to move to Cleveland. We are still working to iron out the cadence and flow of information to convert a consumer’s curiosity into an intent to move. 

As with any iterative process, the unbiased and unvarnished feedback of our peers will be the most valuable thing we can get. And from there we will crawl back to our cave, continue chipping away at our campaign, and ultimately roll it back out into the light for one glorious final showing. 

More soon,

J

[itsjhaile-blog]

Conceptualize It

We worked to rough out a landing page for the Made In Cleveland marketing campaign. This page is essentially a content hub and houses further information for entrepreneurs and others interested in making the move to Cleveland. 

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Implementation

Dear diary,

This week has been great. The biggest hurdle we’ve had along the way is how to simplify our grandiose idea into something easily understood and concise. As the class has continued to give us feedback, it has become evident that the marketing/rebranding aspect will be the most impactful and feasible to execute. 

Our next step was to figure out exactly how to frame our marketing concept -- are we the local government? Are we investors? Are we a marketing agency? Maria suggested that we frame our problem from the perspective of a consulting agency, as though we have been commissioned by the government to help rebrand the city of Cleveland. 

This naturally provided an opportunity to begin fleshing out our deliverables: we will deliver our concept as though we were pitching it to the government. This allows us to distill down the problem, our solution, and various proofs of concept in an easily digestible format. 

We have begun to lay out the skeleton of our pitch; Emi and Maria are volunteering to tackle some of the hands-on design work while we work to flesh out the flow of the pitch. 

We plan to deliver some proof of concept marketing materials for the “Made In Cleveland” rebrand. 

More soon,

Jon

[itsjhaile-blog]

Business Model Canvas

Please find our canvas below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FQdeYdsNHe5ZRxlLR3-loLtT4Vv_NmFM/view?usp=sharing

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Selection

Dear Diary,

Still feeling #blessed with my group selection. Everyone is so enthusiastic and curious that we end up crowd-generating a wealth of information and educating each other about our topic.

Last week we were encouraged to cull down the volume of options we generated and present our favorite few to the class. We each picked a few options to flesh out and presented to the class. Over the course of our collaboration, we’ve gotten pretty good at killing our darlings and have established an all-in mentality as we narrow our focus.... sure, those ideas we had last meeting are all great, but we’ve go to keep this train moving. By agreeing in advance that we would all be comfortable pursuing any of the concepts we chose, it was easy for us to commit once we received feedback from the group. 

And that feedback was invaluable. It became apparent that many people liked the “Made In Cleveland” umbrella, and felt moved by that solution name. Many aspects of the other solutions were also very well received, so we worked to synthesize the best aspects of each into one ubersolution. 

We have an enormous amount of respect for our peers, so reacting to their feedback was relatively straightforward. We took detailed notes of everyone’s responses, reviewed them as a team, and continued hammering out exactly how we plan to revive Cleveland’s economy. Easy-peasy. 

More later,

Jon

[itsjhaile-blog]

Choosing a Solution

Problem Statement:

Think big and help reconstruct Cleveland, the worst economy in the United States.

Proposed Solution: Made in Cleveland: Industries of the future

The people of Cleveland exemplify American ideals. They are loyal, humble, and hardworking. They are the greatest asset the city has. We can rebuild Cleveland’s economy by making  the city more conducive to innovative companies and preparing this workforce for the jobs of tomorrow.

What criteria did you use to select the solution?

We brainstormed an exhaustive list of criteria and settled on the few below:

Clarity

Desirability

Impact

Efficiency

How do the pragmatic and logistical concerns around implementation affect the selection of your solution?

As you’ve been privy to, we have explored a multitude of potential solutions. While tackling such a grand problem poses certain feasibility concerns, we have worked to narrow our focus on this specific solution. This was informed by the group’s feedback as well as our independent research. As we narrow our focus, we are able to explore the specific topics at more depth, so we are currently working to learn about how to improve education (job placement, skills training, college programs, etc.) within Cleveland along with how to attract new, innovative businesses, and supplying them with skilled employees.

How do you deal with compromises and coming to a consensus regarding the solution decision?

By establishing and adhering to our team norms - being project oriented, respectful, and open minded, we have established good habits and a productive workflow. We have made an effort to be receptive to feedback and insight from Davina, Aimee, and the class at large, and have working to refine our solutions in light of that feedback.

[itsjhaile-blog]

Group Brainstorm / Debriefing Session

Group Brainstorming and Debriefing Session

Problem Definition:

Think big and help reconstruct Cleveland, the worst economy in the united states.

Idea generating Question:

How might we reconstruct Cleveland’s economy?

Brainstorming Session:

1. Innovation Hub

2. Education / "Future" Trade Schools*

3. Community Programs

4. Create a network

5. Tax incentives

6. Accelerator / Hack-a-thon*

7. Initiatives - funding, grants,

8. Improve infrastructure*

9. Roll back zoning and regulations*

10. Lobby/influence legislation

11. Support and create startups*

12. Plug Cleveland via entertainment

13. Production hub - create economic incentives for particular industries (e.g. entertainment)*

14. Betaland - new and improved

15. Accessible city data

16. Libraries as innovation hubs

17. Boost food industry

18. Reinvigorate industry/manufacturing -- home of "MADE IN THE USA" (https://www.shinola.com/)

19. Official tax sponsored hack-a-thon

20. Incentives to move http://fortune.com/2018/06/01/vermont-remote-worker-relocation-incentive/

21. Work-from-home / remote work friendly

22. Wework type space for entrepreneurs

23. Facilitate private/public sector collaboration & communication

24. Accessible business law info

25. Government/Industry alignment: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/07/clevelands_path_to_extraordina.html

26. Agriculture/ farming

27. Food engineering / New-Trition

Brainstorming Process:

Our process was a mix of collaborative meetings and independent work. We utilized Zoom, Google Keep, Google Docs and Stormboard to track our ideas.

Organization Process:

After identifying 27 ideas to support our initial question “how might we reconstruct Cleveland’s economy” we utilized Stormboard to prioritize, organize and refine our ideas.

First we organized our Stormboard as a PICK (Possible, Implement, Challenge, Kill)  chart. This is a visual tool for organizing ideas commonly used after a brainstorming session and helps to identify which ideas can be implemented easily and have a high payoff. We then assessed each idea and placed them on the chart. Additionally, we re-organized concepts by industry, and finally voted to determine the overall desirability and level of interest. The output narrowed our focus into three categories; Innovation Hubs, Marketing (Made in America) and Education

Favorite Ideas:

1. Innovation Hubs

1a. Libraries as Innovation Hubs: Generate ideas, build a community, and solve problems

Why Libraries?Libraries are hubs for innovation and community engagement. Librarians and staff work and listen closely to community needs and design programs and services responsive to community challenges.

Transform the library experience that enables

Collaboration Partnership

Programs Space and resources

Librarians and staff are smart community advocates

Community involvement /engagement

Design and Digital Innovation Library

All are welcome

Virtual reality labs, media hubs, makerspaces, institutes for teaching and learning, tutoring, technology etc.,

Entrepreneurship space

Hack-a-thons/Design competitions that bring the community and industry experts to solve community challenges

1b. Innovation Hub + Reality Show

Make a show out of it! Hackathon Promotion

Involve industry leaders to participate in the training and mentorship aspects.

Heavily screen applicants/members for determination and purpose.

Venture capital component so private investment can take place.

Legal department to help with patents and paperwork.

Invest in the participants so that 15% of the profit goes back to funding the innovation hubs.

Allow corporations to donate to the cause for tax write-offs.

Partner with Startups

Collaborative space/Offices

Pitch Night

Events

1c. Cleveland’s Think Big Incubator Program

What: Develop an Incubator program that tackles Cleveland’s biggest problems, creates unique innovative solutions, spin it into a company and enable the growth of a successful business.

Why: To address the failing education system, high unemployment rates and racial inequities to ensure all residents of Cleveland have the opportunity to achieve economic success.

Who: Local startups,

Where: Located in Cleveland Ohio – Co-working space provided

When: 3 – 6 months

Services: small grants, mentorship advice from expert investors and operators, supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs, access to further funding and investor connections, curriculum to support teams towards pitch day, networking events.

2. Made In Cleveland

Restore Cleveland’s economy by inspiring an industrial renaissance. 

2a. Approach 1: Make Cleveland the home of “Made In The USA”

While Cleveland was once an industrial powerhouse, the epicenter of manufacturing for major industries like steel and oil. Since the 1950s, economic changes and offshoring have slowly chipped away at the local economy. But not all industries have been moved overseas. In fact, many high end brands are proudly “made in the USA.” By reimagining the aging infrastructure and creating a business-friendly environment, we can rebrand Cleveland and the home of “Made In The USA.”

Relevant Brands:

True Religion, Alden, Allen Edmonds, Mr. Bronner’s, Tom’s of Maine, Lodge, VItamix, Crayola, Martin Guitars, Zippo

More: https://clark.com/shopping-retail/american-made-in-the-usa/ 

Research: http://www.americanmanufacturing.org/research 

Additional Research: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a20066511/american-manufacturing/ 

2b. Approach 2: The “Future” Industrial Capital 

Identify growing and “future” industries and job sectors. Attract innovative businesses, create “future” trade schools, and reimagine Cleveland as a hotbed of innovation. Trade schools and certification courses will prepare a new generation for the jobs of tomorrow. Additionally, the low cost of living and forward thinking zoning measures could attract remote workers. 

Relevant Industries/Jobs:

Green Energy Technicians, Nurses/Health Aides, Bioengineers, Statisticians, Data Engineers, Software Developers, etc. 

More: https://www.trade-schools.net/articles/best-careers-for-the-future.asp

Research: https://www.jff.org/points-of-view/stackable-credentials-build-ladders-success/ 

Credentials in VA: https://www.fastforwardva.org/ 

3. The Future of Cleveland's Education 

Cleveland Ohio, The newly hip culinary and cultural destination. While Cleveland was once the former industrial powerhouse, things changed when businesses began to pack and relocate, causing a huge decline in their education system. Back in 2013 Cleveland’s students read and did math worse than students in almost any big city in the country, and there were no signs of improvement. Cleveland school district scored second-to-last out of 21 large city districts. Statistics showed that the high school students were assigned as many as seven to 25 hours of homework weekly and subjected to nearly 115 different subsidized tests by graduation. Through advancements and funding throughout out the city of Cleveland the education system has seen a dramatic increase. Cleveland reveals it has 78% of high school graduates, 45% percent with a bachelor’s degree, 18% with a Masters, 6% with a professional school degree and only a 22% drop out rate.

3a. Combine the State Schools, Universities and Workforce Development Systems

With Cleveland being a city of pride, loyalty and hard-work I believe the State Departments of Education, Higher Education and Workforce Transformation should develop its systems into a single new department of learning and achievement. Merging these departments will better align its effort of preparing the students for jobs and college. 

3b. Private Funding for Education 

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Expand tuition vouchers for private schools

Offer a decrease in tuition for lower-income families

Develop programs that provide students with resources to apply for colleges, scholarships and grants. 

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Ideation

Dear Diary,

Divergent thinking. The unequivocal strength of our group. We’ve seen, week in and week out, that we are capable of thinking big (both in terms of scope and in terms of volume). Early on, Emiko suggested that we keep a record of our group and individual work in Google Keep. These shared documents make brainstorming very easy. We have had 3 (I think?) video calls this week, and each time, we pop open the Keep note or corresponding Google Doc dedicated to this brainstorming process and contribute our most recent thoughts. 

Our 15 minute discussion with Davina via Zoom VC was also super helpful. Getting her initial feedback on our ideas as well as her insight regarding how to organize, reorganize, evaluate, and reevaluate them was super helpful.

We translated our ideas onto digital sticky notes using Stormboard (thank Phylizia) and organized them a number of different ways. We each gravitated towards a few ideas, and then picked one to begin fleshing out. 

We worked independently to research the context, history, feasibility, etc. of each of the top-tier ideas and then met again to bring each other up to speed, engage in question and answer sessions, and compile the final group deliverable. 

Our standout ideas are outlined in further depth in the group deliverable, but essentially revolve around:

1. The idea of an innovation hub. 

2. Ways to usher in an industrial renaissance in Cleveland.

3. Ways to improve education in Cleveland. 

More soon,

J

[itsjhaile-blog]

Conjunction Junction

1 - The mason jar is glass and transparent. It has the brand name “Kerr” embossed on the side and has grooves around the top for a lid. It can be used for canning, to hold flowers, and as a glass. 

The mason jar is glass but quite strong. It has grooves around the top for a lid but the lid has been lost. It can be used for so many things, but is usually used as a glass from which to drink. 

2 - The pillow is square and filled with down and has a linen cover. The linen is light grey and has somewhat thick thread and subsequently a bit of a chunky texture. There are tightly sewn seams around the edges and there is also a sipper along one edge. 

The pillow is extremely forgiving and squishy, but the fabric itself is a little rough. The fabric was once stiff but has been worn in and is now a bit more welcoming. The threads from which the fabric is woven are all the same color but their texture creates many little light and dark pockets along the surface of the pillow. 

3 - The tissue box is light green and has a subtle white floral pattern. There is an oval hole in the top and a single white tissue is protruding from the hole. There is a bit of saran-wrap like plastic around the tissue and this plastic is also attached to the box. 

The tissue box is green and white but it has a small blue logo in one of the corners. It has a tissue protruding from the top, but the tissue doesn’t actually make direct contact with the hole in the top of the box. 

4 - The garment bag is light brown and has a zipper running down the front. There is a coat hanger sticking form the top and a logo from the garment manufacturer on the side. 

The garment bag is light brown but has a dark logo imprinted upon the side. There is a zipper running up the front but sometimes it gets stuck, which is a pain in the ass.

5 - My girlfriend’s slippers are each in the shape of adog and made out of fluffy synthetic fabric. They are light brown and have contrasting dark brown ears. They each have two eyes and a nose embroidered on the toe. 

My girlfriends slippers are each in the shape of a dog but look more like little bears due to the poorly defined features. They are light brown but have dark brown ears. They each have eyes and a nose embroidered on them, but no mouth!

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Definition

Dear Diary,

Our group has been using Google Keep (great suggestion, Emiko!) to help organize our individual and collective thoughts. We have also gotten in the habit of synching up either via video or via phone a few times a week. 

We set individual goals and then use our time together to compare and contrast our individual findings, discuss what we each found to be most compelling out our subject, and work to move our project forward. We wrap up each meeting by agreeing upon next steps -- rinse and repeat. 

After going super broad during our morphological analysis, we decided a good way to limit the scope of our problem would be to focus on a single city. We agreed upon Cleveland, which is considered the most economically depressed city in the nation, and which exemplifies many of the troubles faced by declining manufacturing hubs. 

To help further limit the scope, we challenged each other to write problem definitions independently of one another along with a few major points that we find fascinating about the subject. 

We then compared our individual definitions and discuss the similarities and differences. After subsequent discussion, we reorganize our thoughts and synthesize our disparate definitions into a single definition that is a true amalgamation of our individual thinking. 

More soon!

J

[itsjhaile-blog]

Problem Definition (Solo & Group)

Solo:

Cleveland is considered the most economically distressed city in the United States. Once a booming industrial town, automation, offshoring, and shifting consumer habits have hollowed out the local economy. Compounded by aging infrastructure, anachronistic regulation, and unsatisfactory local education, residents are ill-equipped to prosper in the “new economy.” Cleveland is just one of many urban centers across the rust belt that have atrophied under evolving economic pressures. How do we make Cleveland, and cities like it, more conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation?

Group:

"Cleveland is the most economically distressed large city in the United States. Once a booming industrial metropolis, automation, offshoring, and inadequate education systems have led to a steady decline in manufacturing, employment, and population. Cleveland is just one of many urban centers across the rust belt that have atrophied under evolving economic pressures.”

[itsjhaile-blog]

Morphological Analysis

Please find the table attached, followed by quick individual assessments.

Individual Assessments: 

Jon - Our group is exploring the intersection of urban planning, entrepreneurialism, and (though I dislike the term) social justice. These are some serious topics that require significant research and unpacking. I am enjoying the process of research and analysis, and hope to hone in on a specific topic or set of topics relating to urban planning that have the create the most impact on enterprise and that have the natural consequence of improving welfare.

Emiko - When you’re talking about Urban Planning, it paralleles so many different systems (Politics/Policies, Healthcare, Environment, Equality and Community) Rather than specializing in one area, it requires widespread interdisciplinary perspectives. For this assignment, we obviously need to narrow down our focus in the coming weeks. Whatever our topic focuses in on, I think our team will incorporate the impact of our solution on the community as a whole. I gravitate towards solutions that enable equitable equality.

Ishmael - What I found interesting about our “Urban Planning” topic is that although it is an unfamiliar topic in our everyday lives, we have all found some sort of emotional connection with the topic, allowing us to convey our ideas and perspectives through the project. Our urban planning topic is set to help and educate those in less fortunate communities. I appreciate our objective in finding solutions to create resources, enable equality while enhancing the economics of the city.

Maria - The topic of Urban Planning naturally appealed to our group due to its impact in so many different areas which touch our lives on a day to day basis. It’s interesting to note that in 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in urban cities; however, current urbanization patterns are largely unsustainable - socially, economically and environmentally. On a practical level, research shows this requires a higher demand for more diverse and inclusive cities that provide equitable health services, training and education, affordable housing, and social entrepreneurship. I am excited and optimistic our team will be able to take a deep dive into the topics above and narrow our focus in the next few weeks.

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Analysis

Dear Diary,

This has been quite a week. Really happy with my team and how everyone’s natural curiosity lead to a truly significant amount of research. 

Given that we are still gathering data and perspectives, we cast a broad net in terms of sources - they ranged from documentaries to scholarly articles and opinion pieces. 

Our group naturally researched topics that we each found interesting - for example, Emiko is very curious about the social consequences of urban planning as far as welfare and equality are concerned, so her research has leaned in that direction. While extremely important topics, my latent interest skews more toward the fiscal and economic impacts of policy. As a team, we’ve been able to efficiently gather a wealth of information that runs the gamut in terms of its relationship with our core topic of urban planning. And that is very good at this stage. 

My curiosity regarding the social welfare consequences of urban planning has certainly been piqued, and that has provided an additional lens through which I can analyze our problem and try to quantify the potential impact of our solution. 

I think our next step will be to cull down our areas of inquiry and identify the most significant bottlenecks to innovation that are present within urban planning and then reallocate our collective energies to intensive research on those subjects. 

More soon!

[itsjhaile-blog]

Contingency Management

Limitations:

Topic Knowledge: Limited information exists for the pink zone concept. This will require our team to dig into zoning regulations which prevent business development. None of us are experts in this area and thus, we all need to do our collective parts (divide and conquer!) when researching.

Geographical limitations: Because we are far away from one another, the deliverables and platforms used to communicate will need to be considered. We likely will need to use multimedia platforms that are cloud based. (Google Drive, Videos, Websites, Shared via the Internet)

Time: We all live busy lives, managing this work with our day to day tasks will be a challenge. Prioritizing tasks and effort will be important to consider.

Creative Roadblocks: Group brainstorming sessions, asking for help, sharing tips and tricks, and maintain focus on our end goal will support the creative process.

Scope Creep: With a large complex problem such as this, it will be important to clearly define our problem statement, identify our goals, remain vigilant, and monitor it on an going basis.

Capabilities:

Emiko: I enjoy learning new things, especially when it comes to learning a new software. These technical skills will come in handy when we collaborate on deliverables for the project. I am flexible and enjoy seeing the collaborative potential of the group unfold.

Ishmael: I am an open-minded team player, ready to lead when needed and willing to step back when it's all called for. I communicate well, making sure my team understands my perspective and take on any situation. I enjoy researching and taking on responsibilities I might not be 100% clear about, always taking my mind to new levels.

Jon: I am eager, curious, and optimistic. Professionally, I work to synthesize the ideas of a large group into succinct and moving communication points. I am an avid researcher and develop micro-obsessions over each project I am involved with, so I look forward to chasing my newfound interest in urban planning and sharing what I find with the group.

Maria: I am flexible, understanding and excel at project delivery and execution. I have the ability to foresee constraints or obstacles and create mitigation strategies to keep us on path, or not! I am calm, rational and always willing to go above and beyond.

Team Capabilities:

Collectively, we are a collaborative and curious group who will work hard to create and deliver an innovative solution for our topic.

Goals and Intentions:

Our overarching goal is to articulate a solution for an ideal development plan which removes red tape and encourages entrepreneurship. We need to first gather information on regulations that make it difficult for businesses to thrive in a city.

A feasible way we can articulate this is through storytelling, using a persona of a young business oriented individual who is trying to jump start their business in “JOHNDOE” city. To create this storyline, we can use the multiple platforms (illustrations or animation softwares).

We can also use city planning tools such as Sketch-Up, GIMP, INKSCAPE, Quantum GISto model the city. We do have experience with SketchUp, however, we would require new knowledge if our team goes with other tools. Since we’re quick learners, this is not a concern for us.

Expectations:

We have gotten into the habit of setting individual and group goals and deadlines each time we interact. We have created Deliverable/Action report to track milestones, schedule and to ensure we are all on the same page.

Team norms include:

Consistent communication with the group

Respect for one another

No idea is a bad idea - no judgements

Be present

Support each other

Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities

Dot Voting

Always be on time

Take accountability

Equal workload

Time chunk activities

Make yourself available!

Incentives and Consequences:

It is important to give credit where credit is due, appreciate and acknowledge each other’s work.

Consistent communication with each other will be important to team success. Checking in, determining status and progress, asking and answering questions!

We will hold each other accountable and will not be hesitant to speak up and have an open discussion if something is falling through the cracks. We are all here to learn and grow from one another, we will lift each other up if someone is falling behind.

Our reward will be…. A new set of beats by Dre courtesy of IYA????

[itsjhaile-blog]

Process Journal / Acceptance

Delusional. Unhinged. Hubristic. Oh how my reputation has been maligned by detractors and non-believers ... and to think my so-called “delusions of grandeur” were really just “picturing success”\ all along.

Walk with me down a well worn path to my happy place. Where all of my assumptions are correct, my mistakes are actually great decisions, where both of my parents are proud and never divorced, and where all eight great-grandparents are still alive.

Team Goldenrod (or... four?) has just presented a concise, compelling, yet terrifically detailed plan to foster innovation in all major cities across the USA. 

Davina is impressed. She scribbles “obvious 100%” into her notebook, followed by “Maria Yen - future president?” But Davina is only half right. While we do earn an A, Maria was born Canada and is therefore not qualified to run for president. But there is a future POTUS in the group. Read on to find out who...

The envy our classmates may feel at how truly awesome our plan was quickly gives way to appreciation for just having been present as it was unveiled. In fact, they are inspired to take action themselves and systematically embed themselves within local governments all across the country. Ashu becomes mayor of East Montpellier, a beautiful small town in Vermont (I hear it is just beautiful there this time of year).  Aimee becomes the Planning Director for St. Augustine, Florida (her family enjoys frequent weekend trips to Orlando and she comes under some scrutiny for purchasing an annual pass to Walt Disney World with government funds). Del leverages the urban planning and financial practices and principals he learned from us to found a fledgling nation-state in the Carribean. Tourism (and innovation, of course) fuel his economy, along with a booming illegal drug trade. 

Davina is recognized as a visionary and academic leader and is recruited to be the CEO of The Smithsonian Institute and Museum (which was privatized by Trump -- sure, the poor can’t afford to go anymore, but boy are the bathrooms spotless). 

Our P+P classmates, now bureaucratic sleeper agents, slowly climb the ranks of their respective local and state governments. Del’s island becomes the 51st state. We legalize and tax the shit out of his drugs, putting all of the money into education, slowly bridging the achievement gap and producing the most productive and innovative generation known to man (suck it, baby boomers).

By now, our classmates (as well as all subsequent cohorts) have infiltrated every arm of government on local, state, and federal levels. It would be as if a Clinton married a Bush at a wedding officiated by a Kennedy (but don’t get your hopes up, we could only get Maria Shriver). 

This is where the real fun begins. While our classmates have been busy in the public sector, I have become a titan of industry. I leverage my immense personal wealth to mount an extremely effective bid to become president. Emiko is my running mate. The unanimous endorsement of all of my former classmates, now leaders across the political spectrum practically ensures my victory. But even if for some reason I lost the popular vote, I have really incriminating blackmail evidence against all members of the electoral college. 

Fast forward a few months to my inauguration. I give a rousing speech, recalling fondly the years I spent learning at USC, singing the praises of 2U and Zoom (which happen to be my two largest corporate donors... its okay, they did it via a PAC... so totally legal). 

The clouds break, and beams of warm light bathe the crown. At this moment, I remove the incredibly lifelike mask I have been wearing for thirty years and reveal that I am actually Ishmael. 

Yes. Ishmael is the real president. 

Dr. Dre approaches Ishmael on stage, congratulates him for his cunning, and gives him a free pair of Beats by Dre (this idea was totally stolen from Maria, who really deserved to be president, but ya know, Canada). But the Beats by Dre are rose gold, so everybody is disappointed. 

[itsjhaile-blog]

So... What’s In It For Me?

Our group is exploring issues related to urban planning as far as business and entrepreneurship are concerned. Broadly speaking, outmoded zoning laws and other regulations create a hurdle to business ownership and entrepreneurship that is a net negative to society. I am extremely curious about politics and bureaucracy as they relate to the trials, tribulations, and successes of my fellow humans. As a (broadly defined) business person with entrepreneurial tendencies, I would like to live in a society that is conducive and supportive to my pursuits. This project presents a great opportunity to learn more about these systems and apply those learnings in my everyday life. Additionally, I really enjoy the interactions I’ve been having with my teammates and look forward to exploring and building upon these exciting new relationships.