What do you do? “I work for Ashoka, an organization that supports entrepreneurs who are working on innovative, sustainable solutions to social problems. These entrepreneurs work in areas from education to the environment, health care to human rights, and they do it not to make millions of dollars, but to improve millions of people’s lives. It’s my job in the marketing department to raise awareness about the phenomenal success of these social entrepreneurs.”
Is there something you can trace your interest in activism to? “Reading Robin Hood! Robin Hood saw a social problem and formed a band of merry men to be wealth redistributors — he was a social entrepreneur. All the stories we read as children made it clear to me the only truly noble pursuit in life is serving others.”
What does a typical day for you include? “One of my favorite parts of a typical day is the informal ‘changing-the-world’ brainstorm session that arises spontaneously in the break room. We think big thoughts and share our dreams about improving the world.”
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What ideas have come out of those brainstorming sessions? “The university network we’re setting up is designed to build relationships between academics and actual social entrepreneurs. Our goal is to create a collaborative learning environment where the best ideas are shared and improved. Plus, a focus on social entrepreneurship at universities will lead to growth in the field as more students become aware of the awesome career path.”
What further aspirations do you have? “I would like to become a successful social entrepreneur myself, and I would like to explore the profitability of social entrepreneurship. I think we should compensate those who deliver the most value to society in the same way we compensate top CEOs.”
How much money do you make? $29K and all the happiness in the world.
On the Web: ashoka.org
