Week #2
Article One:
The headline of the first article that I decided to take a closer look at this week from UCLA’s student run paper The Daily Bruin was “Student entrepreneurs can explore their passions while pursuing higher education” This article debates the belief that starting a traditional business and pursuing higher education is not attainable. The article takes us through how that belief is evolving with students on the UCLA campus. The article goes into how important the undergraduate programs are to help grow and cultivate this new attitude towards entrepreneurship and higher education. Students now have access to various university resources, connections and experiences, which make student entrepreneurs more likely to find themselves not only succeeding, but thriving in their endeavors.
The first student that was interviewed for the article was Mark Lin, a second-year cognitive science and economics student, who founded a company called Sliimeyhoney that crafts intricate food-inspired slimes. Lin describes how grateful he is to the UCLA community because he feels that they really helped him on his entrepreneur journey. Lin was able to earn $1 million dollars in 2023. “By following his passion and doing what he loved, Lin was able to develop a sustainable income for himself.” This is just one of the success stories that would not have been possible if it weren’t for the courageous entrepreneurs in the new generation that have taken on pursuing their dreams while still being in school and all of the new programs and opportunities that allow them to do so.
Some quotes that stood out to me from the article were “Investors are now looking at undergraduate students as the next generation of innovators”. I think that this is a really great idea and that undergraduate students are really benefiting from this mindset. Because investors are spending more time and money on undergraduate students, they now have the ability to gain practical knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, management, finance, marketing, and other relevant areas. Another quote that resonates with me was “Despite societal assumptions, education attainment does not always determine one’s ability to excel in their career. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world dropped out of college.” Although college does put you at an advantage in most cases this statement is definitely true. I think this should be kept in mind because it is better to know yourself and know that school is not for you than to end up trying to push yourself to do something you hate and spend thousands of dollars. Everyone learns differently and for some it might be easier to self teach through trial and error.
In conclusion, the rise of undergraduate business programs highlights the increasingly intertwined nature of education and entrepreneurship. While starting a business and pursuing higher education may once have been seen as mutually exclusive, today’s aspiring entrepreneurs can access the resources, networks, and learning opportunities offered by colleges and universities to enhance their entrepreneurial journey.
Article Two:
The headline of the second article that I decided to take a closer look at this week from UCLA’s student run paper The Daily Bruin was “Opinion: Students can mitigate seasonal depression by embracing weather, taking precautions”. I chose this article because I thought the tips and advice would definitely help out students living in Maine. The article starts off by talking about how the cold temperatures and shorter days can have effects on students’ daily lives. The author of the article Danielle Taylor believes that “it is important to establish positive, healthy habits to beat the winter blues.” In the article it gives a definition of seasonal depression and lists some of the symptoms including fatigue, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite and anxiety.
Danielle Taylor then goes on to describe the seasonal depression she went through moving from L.A to Seattle. She said that “The activities that I usually loved to do, like sports, were a tremendous struggle. I slept more hours, lacked motivation in my classwork and ate one to two extra meals every day.” This is something I can definitely relate to because I moved from California to Massachusetts in the beginning of eighth grade and it took a lot of adjusting. My favorite things to do in California were go to the pool and go to the beach. In Massachusetts there is a small window of two months where you can participate in those activities and then you’re back to counting the days until warm weather again. In my opinion this can definitely have an effect on my wellbeing not only emotionally but physically as well. It becomes harder and harder to be active outside. Being outdoors was my favorite way to take care of my physical health, swimming running, yoga all way better when you do it outside in a quiet and clean environment.
The article then lists some suggestions of what students can do to better prepare themselves for seasonal depression.
1.)Invest in warm, waterproof winter clothes.
2.)Make special winter traditions.
3.)Try your best to stop complaining.
4.)Don’t cut out healthy habits.
5.) If you believe you may have seasonal depression or anxiety symptoms, seek out resources and get support
6.) Turn your face toward the rain.
I believe this article has some good advice and it would have been helpful for me to read an article like this when I first moved. I think learning to be grateful for all the time we do have in the sun and not to wish away the days that don’t is an essential skill for keeping seasonal depression at bay.
