Happy Friday! Here’s our latest blog post in our personal Friday series from Cara. Have a fantastic weekend!
What’s the power of a different perspective?
In college, I studied to memorize facts and write strong, persuasive papers. The goal was always to get as close to perfection as I could. My sophomore year, I was asked to join a small group project that changed my perspective on success and accomplishing goals.
One of my English professors recommended that I apply to become a member of Lafayette’s Technology Clinic. Technology Clinic “is a hands-on course founded in 1986 that brings together students from different majors to help solve real-world problems of a business, nonprofit organization, or government body.” I thought that this sounded interesting and decided to apply.
During my interview I learned that current project was to evaluate and study the storm water runoff problem in the West Ward of Easton, PA (a heavily paved area of the city) and provide recommendations for its management and reduction. I thought to myself, “Wow, this seems pretty cool but I’m an English and Psychology double major, so what insight could I possibly bring? Only 5 or 6 students are chosen. I’m sure they’ll choose engineers and science majors who study this kind of stuff.”
Well, two weeks later I received a letter that I was chosen. The other members of the team weren’t engineers either, we had a Design and Marketing major, a Geology and Art double major, a Religious Studies and Government Law double major, and another English Major.
We spent the first few months researching storm water runoff and its effect on the environment. During our discussions, my teammates and I often felt like we did not have the expertise or experience to contribute to the project. The two professors that guided discussion and acted as mentors encouraged us to let go of what we thought our limitations were and to focus on learning and thinking.
After analyzing the problem we sat down and began to brainstorm what could be done to slow, and ultimately reduce, the storm water runoff that was polluting the surrounding river. My teammates and I were amazed at how many different ideas we came up with. Even though we had studied together for the past few months, our different skills and backgrounds led us to different solutions. In the end, our recommendations were a fusion of the ideas. We took the strongest concepts to make the best recommendation possible.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to take part in this project. I learned that a unique perspective is sometimes just what you need to tackle a tough problem.
The JDCA is bringing a very unique perspective to the quest for a diabetes cure. We use a business outlook to analyze the operations and strategies toward a type 1 cure. We identify the obstacles and what we believe is needed to overcome those obstacles (namely a defined cure goal and strategic focus).
Is our perspective alone going to develop a Practical Cure? No, but in tandem with the scientific expertise, resources, and community of the diabetes charities and research community we can accelerate the development of a cure-like lifestyle by shifting the current structure and encouraging focus.
