Designing a Conference: A Student's Reflection on the DN 2020 Virtual Experience

Alyssa Sheeres, a junior from Seattle Pacific University and attendee of our 2020 Design Nation Conference, reflects on her initial reaction to the conference going online due to COVID-19 and the surprising insights about the power of design beyond the visual aspects and aesthetics that she derived from her virtual experience.

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A Conversation with Andrea Marcellus, Founder and CEO of ANDREA MARCELLUS

Andrea Marcellus, CEO of ANDREA MARCELLUS, a lifestyle brand, describes how she incorporates personal authenticity into her fitness app, how her driven, energetic personality and previous hardships have informed her foundational “5 Key Life Strategies,” and how it was challenging to skate the line between marketing and universal truth to create her own unique niche in the fitness business.

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A Conversation with Miri Rodriguez, Head of Global Internship Program at Microsoft: Part II

In part II of Grace Hong’s podcast with Miri Rodriguez, Head of the Global Internship Program at Microsoft, Miri explains how to connect with potential mentors on LinkedIn by showing up with grace, reaching out with the intention to gain insight and relate via compassionate empathy, and coming out of a space of learning. She also explains a storyboarding exercise, where she challenges others to describe their brand story using colors or paint, but not words, in only six panels.

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Slipping Prices: Challenges faced by the Spain’s Olive Oil Industry

Since pre-Roman times, the cultivation of olives has maintained a long tradition in Spanish agriculture. In recent years, however, this integral product has fallen into precarious situations due to changes in the global market demand and the appearance of new pathogens that threaten to disrupt the supply chain.

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Puerto Rico as a Key Player: A Conversation with Rodrick Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Invest Puerto Rico

Rodrick Miller, CEO of Invest Puerto Rico, explains Puerto Rico’s unique juxtaposition between the U.S., Latin America’s, and the Caribbean’s financial markets, the size and value of its pharmaceutical industry, and what makes it stand out in terms of resilience in small businesses, startups, and Knowledge Services.

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Engineering Solutions for Education: Assemblywoman Luz Rivas on her Experiences from STEM to Politics

From engineer to founder to politician, Luz Rivas has constantly dedicated herself to promoting STEM education & awareness as Founder of DIY Girls and Assemblywoman for California's 39th State Assembly District. Here, she discusses the challenges in managing a non-profit organization and how tech intersects with policy in her work today.

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Schwarzman Scholars: A Panel Podcast on Adaptations to a Global Pandemic

Amy Wang (Director of Content at BT) is joined by past and current Schwarzman Scholars Michael Shin ('19) and Amanda Morrison ('20) in a discussion of the value of cross border communication and how the program has adapted to the global pandemic. Listen to the panelists discuss present challenges for global cooperation and share advice for those interested in the Schwarzman Program.

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Discrimination in the Digits: A Conversation with Ruha Benjamin, Author of “Race after Technology”

Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, challenges the dominant narrative that technology always equals progress in her latest novel “Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code,” examining how the heavy impact of COVID-19 on minority communities has exposed default settings of inequity in innovation that have been historically present.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Future of the Global Workforce with Aubrey Blanche

Aubrey Blanche, Director of Equitable Design and Impact at Culture Amp and startup investor and advisor, discusses the importance of eliminating the word “meritocracy” from the tech industry in order to tackle assumptions about diversity. As founder and CEO of The MathPath (Math Nerd + Empath), she also explains how she combines data and empathy to help execs build work environments that thrive in representation.

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“Zoom University": An Agent of Disequilibrium in the Education Economy

When students enroll in college, they sign up to sharpen their minds, not to attend virtual “discussion” sessions. With learning and extracurricular/social opportunities reduced to a fraction of their on-campus levels in the wake of shutdowns prompted by COVID-19, the value of a college degree starts to fall far below the tuition costs.

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CLLCTVE – How student entrepreneur Kelsey Davis harnesses creativity and diversity to power next generation marketing for America’s largest companies

Powered by her indomitable energy and enthusiasm and the Blackstone Launchpad program at Syracuse University, student Kelsey Davis founded a startup, CLLCTVE, that bridges the gap between student creatives and brands who want to discover emerging talent. CLLCTVE, designed for students, is focused on the next generation overtaking the labor force that has an important attribute: diversity.

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A Conversation with Alex Kennedy, Global Head and Director of Partnership Strategy and Operations at Twitter

Alex Kennedy, Global Head and Director of Partnership Strategy and Operations at Twitter, emphasizes the necessity of unconscious bias training, Twitter’s role in reflecting their online user constituency through employee representation at all levels, breaking up the homogenous “tech/innovator/creator” set, and how companies can be intentional about diversity by supporting their workforce as they enter and ascend the ranks.

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Appreciation, not Appropriation: Cultural Inclusivity in the Spotlight

The concept of inclusivity in the world of fashion is one that is constantly being refined. While companies and brands take steps to create a truly diverse atmosphere, they also must be aware of the fine line that is cultural appropriation, and the way that they are able to maneuver around these issues can set them apart in an era that is hyper-aware of diversity.

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HireVue CEO Kevin Parker Explains How Technology is Democratizing Hiring

HireVue CEO Kevin Parker discusses the benefits and challenges with harnessing the power of AI and other technologies to facilitate and democratize the hiring process, from carefully incorporating aspects of organizational psychology to bolstering internal mobility in HR, and highlights the company’s focus on the candidate experience.

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Previewing Princeton: Choosing a College During COVID-19

Choosing which college to commit to can be very daunting. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the Class of 2024 will not have the opportunity to attend the preview days of colleges they were admitted to. Other ways that incoming freshmen can observe the culture of their universities involve analyzing their COVID-19 response, from looking at how their administration has accommodated students, faculty, and workers to how they have handled emergency relief funding from the CARES Act.

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Hatching a Great Idea on Campus: How a business born at USC is paving a path to better financial health for low-income students

Michael Broughton might have seemed like an unlikely candidate to launch a finance business when he arrived at USC, barely able to cover his freshman tuition. Today, thanks to support from the university community and the Blackstone LaunchPad, a national network promoting student entrepreneurship, Broughton and his diverse team have come up with a unique solution, Hatch Credit, to help students improve their credit scores.

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A Conversation with Tina Sharkey, Co-Founder of Brandless

Tina Sharkey, co-founder of Brandless, elaborates on her insights from building up a community and consumer brand loyalty with Brandless, the role of self-branding in the media, and the importance of fostering an active, inclusive co-owned heartbeat in the company from the get go in order to build a culture of shared values and shared intentions.

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A Conversation with Norman Augustine, Former CEO and Chairman of Lockheed Martin Corporation

Norman Augustine, former CEO and Chairman of Lockheed Martin Corporation, explains the aerospace industry’s role in national defense and systems integration and economic sustainability in the human spaceflight program. Drawing upon his past experience on the board of Proctor & Gamble, he also elaborates further on some marketing and branding successes and failures.

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Branding in a Brandless and Tech Based Economy with Amit Mukherjee, Partner at New Enterprise Associates

Drawing on his extensive experience working with startups, founders, and consumer technology investments, Amit Mukherjee, partner at New Enterprise Associates, explains the importance of storytelling for founders. He also discusses the duopoly between Facebook and Google regarding the ad space and the paradox of choice for Consumer Packaged Goods.

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