Everything Worthwhile is Done with the Power of Collectivity

Alumni Reflection from Hiba Ahmed

 

I wasn’t expecting to be part of more than just a two-person startup team when I took on my internship freshman year. As iVenture started, I realized that being part of iVenture meant being part of a community of dozens of extremely driven and supportive students, alumni, faculty, and community members. 

iVenture opened up the doors to the entrepreneurship ecosystem at the University of Illinois at large for me. It introduced me to a network of people truly invested in bettering the world, starting with uplifting their own communities.

To me, building community is about uplifting others alongside yourself. It’s about supporting each other, learning from one another, and building with other people. I’m a strong believer that everything worthwhile is done with the power of collectivity. 

One of my most memorable experiences in iVenture’s fifth cohort is the emphasis Manu would put on community building. I didn’t really understand that until I began to see how connected the entrepreneurship ecosystem is at UIUC and how much power there is in that. Once your foot is in the door, you essentially have life-long mentors and friends to guide you on your entrepreneurial journey. And your network alone is often the most important part of your career as an entrepreneur.

Through my experiences in social entrepreneurship, I’ve learned first and foremost the importance of giving back to those who helped me grow. iVenture is a space that provided me with many mentors and friends who influenced what I want my future to look like. Most importantly, iVenture is an organization extremely invested in its people and transparent in its efforts. Its growing success is a testament to that. 

The UIUC startup network is so vast, and I am grateful to be connected to it. That being said, I encourage iVenture students (present and future) to take advantage of all the resources at your hands at iVenture! I am not a founder, yet I have found so much value in the relationships I have built through entrepreneurs at UIUC. I am excited to see the extremely talented, diverse, and brilliant students that come through iVenture. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!