The Entrepreneurship Training Program in the School of Graduate Studies at Memorial University
By Colton Politte, Entrepreneurship Training Program Marketing Assistant, MUN
Moving around all day in the office and fidgeting at your desk takes a lot of energy. So why don’t we try to capture a little of that restlessness and bring it back to help make our lives a little easier?
Originally from Syria, Loujein Mouammer has been working on her Master’s in process engineering at Memorial University and has tackled head-on the challenges of excelling at her graduate studies and starting her own business. While studying here, she discovered the Entrepreneurship Training Program offered through the School of Graduate Studies, the Internationalization Office, and Student Life. Here she found a way to bring her idea to light: harnessing human energy to charge low-power devices.
Loujein says that, while the Entrepreneurship Training Program and operating centre are not widely known yet, they’ve been crucial and dependable resources for her. Online access means that the content is available when she has the time to spare in her busy day; the ability to network and meet with entrepreneurship mentors through the centre has allowed her to further refine her ideas. The ETP has helped her to pursue this goal even when maintaining the delicate life balance that comes with being a graduate student.
“The ETP is a great way to help students understand the fundamentals of entrepreneurship,” says Grace Tatigian, coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Training Program. “We have students from [many] departments, engineering in particular, who are interested in starting their own business but worry that not having a business degree will slow them down.” She explained that the ETP, a free program available to graduate students, introduces tools such as the Lean Canvas. Other topics in the program include the St. John’s Startup Ecosystem map, which can help participants to conceptualize ideas and access further resources.
“While comparing a corporate career to entrepreneurship path, you will come to know that a normal job is much easier than starting up your own business,” says Loujein. “However, my advice to students is that with enough passion comes enough energy to tackle every obstacle. So never give up on your dreams and ideas. Refresh your thoughts with successful start-up journeys and you’ll know you’re not alone out there.”
Loujein says that in spite of the challenges that come with the work on top of an already busy schedule, it’s still worth it. Her passion is pushing her toward her goal, and the ETP has been a valuable asset in her journey. She hopes that more people will find and participate in these groups, to allow networking between those with the ideas and those with the skill sets.
If you want to know more about MeCharge and what Loujein is doing, you can contact her at lzmouammer@mun.ca.
To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Training Program at Memorial University, you can visit www.mun.ca/etp or contact Grace Tatigian, the program coordinator, at gtatigian@mun.ca.