Hult Prize TIU – an interview with Sabrina

Author: Tin D.
Editor: Tin D.

※The interview was conducted in English.

Hult Prize TIU

Motivation

Tin: “What was your motivation when you decided to make Hult Prize TIU happen?”

Sabrina: “Yes! So, I was motivated to make Hult Prize TIU happen because… It was actually because I stumbled upon an article from one of my friends. It told how she was inspired to join the regionals and I thought I might as well join so I was just like open the website and then applied, and I didn’t even remember I applied and they called me back to do an interview and it just kinda happened even though I did not really know about Hult Prize at that time, honestly.”

Theme

Tin: “I heard that Hult Prize has a theme every year, so can you tell me a little bit about this year’s theme?”

Sabrina: “Yes, thank you for that question. So this year’s theme is “Food for Good” where students are challenged to transform food into vehicles of changes and solve one or more of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). They will also need to be able to create jobs, stimulate economies, reimagine supply chain, and improve outcome for 10 million people by 2030, which is a big challenge”

The experience: organizer & participant

Tin: “So, within Hult Prize TIU, I suppose that there are two main groups: the organizers and the participating teams. Can you tell me about your experience as an organizer? For example, did you have fun? How was it like coordinating people and surpassing challenges together?”

Sabrina: “YES! At first, it was like 100% motivation and in the middle of it, sometimes people get demotivated because you have done a lot but then things do not go as expected. In the beginning, we had a hard time finding team members. During the first two weeks, there were like only 2 teams but then we needed to reach the minimum of 10 teams, which was a lot right? Also, we had a hard time finding judges at first. We didn’t know where to search for them […] However, as we continued to progress, we gathered a lot more people and are working towards the next months on the high note.”

Tin: “I see, I see. That was very interesting. Well, I would say that as long as you enjoy doing it and things work out in the end, all good. That being said, although I do not know whether it is fine for you to talk on behalf of the participating teams, can you tell me what their experience could be like?”

Sabrina: “Oh, alright. This might have been due to miscommunication by me, but they were probably kind of unsure at first because the challenge was slightly ambiguous. They did ask me a lot like how could I do the abstract, how could I do the google form and everything. I see they have a lot of passion, but probably need more direction from the organization team back then. However, as we reach the end of the registration period, things have lightened up a bit. They are now more engaging and more explicitly passionate about their projects […] Another thing is that they may find Hult Prize, or building a business from scratch, is kind of difficult and scary.

Tin: “Yeah, I know that feeling. But if I recall correctly, Hult Prize is not about building a business, but rather about sharing the ideas of your business first, right?”

Sabrina: “Exactly! That is perfectly correct. You know, why don’t you join Hult Prize TIU, since you know that much?”

Tin: “Haha, thanks for the offer, but I think my back is hurt enough with all the work and assignments I got”

Sabrina: “Well, can’t really force you, haha”

A bridge between Jtrack and Etrack?

Tin: “I am just wondering, but since TIU is composed of both J-track and E-track students, are you guys planning to attract more people that speak mostly Japanese?”

Sabrina: “We are currently also working to attract J-track students to our circle. So, 2 weeks ago, we did talk in J-track classes. Currently, we have only 2 team members and 1 organizing member from the J-track program. Although there are not many at this point, I personally think that it is already an achievement for us. Hopefully next year, there will be more J-track students coming.”

Virtual events

Tin: “As many events are being moved to virtual, did Hult Prize TIU face any difficulties?”

Sabrina: “That’s a good question. So, I think the main problem of doing this virtually is that we would not be able to spread the passion. It may not seem as real. And since we can not meet with our judges, our mentors, it does not feel as personal. And of course to the organizing committees and the participating team too. But, there are positive things. For example, we do everything online now. We are able to ask speakers or judges from all over the world[…] It is also easier for them in terms of transportation. Also, there is no need to cover the decoration materials and stuff like that.”

Tin: “Oh ok, nice to learn new things from your experience”
Sabrina: “It’s really not that much, haha”

A message from Sabrina

——It is OK to make a mistake. Join an organization and do as many things as you can because you will probably be a student only once, so you need to utilize that as much as you can——