June 21, 2026

Dr. E. M. Nuñez and Malik Harouna—Supporting first-generation student success through entrepreneurship, learning from positive failure

Dr. E. M. Nuñez and Malik Harouna—Supporting first-generation student success through entrepreneurship, learning from positive failure
Dr. E. M. Nuñez and Malik Harouna—Supporting first-generation student success through entrepreneurship, learning from positive failure
EDUP Xcelerated Excellence
Dr. E. M. Nuñez and Malik Harouna—Supporting first-generation student success through entrepreneurship, learning from positive failure

Our guests, Dr. E. M. Nuñez and Malik Harouna, are Assistant Director for Scholar Support & Educational Access at San FrancisBay University (SFBU) (SFBU Scholars Program) and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for Aline, respectively.

Dr. Nuñez (they/them) is a higher education and nonprofit leader with over 15 years of experience advancing equity-driven programs for first-generation, low-income, and historicallyunderrepresented students. With a doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University Long Beach, their work centers on decolonizing educational practices and building culturally relevant pathways to college access and student success. Their mission is to motivate others through collaboration and authenticity to build communities grounded in humility and reciprocity, where people, regardless of background or zip code, feel empowered to live fully and overcome systemic barriers. Dr. Nuñez has led cross-functional teams, managed large-scale programs and budgets, and directed initiatives in college access,undergraduate research, and student affairs at institutions and nonprofits across the country. They bring a holistic, student-centered, and justice-focused lens to every space they serve.

Malik Harouna is a Startup Scholar at San Francisco Bay University and Co-founder and CTO of ALINE a professional networking app that finds you the hidden connections in your direct proximity 24/7.

Your Host: ⁠⁠Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP⁠⁠

Sponsor NAESP. National School Leaders Conference–Powered by NAESP is designed for Pre-K–12 principals and assistant principals, featuring high-impact learning tracks, networking, andthe newly added "Camp Lead-A-Lot" retreat. Held July 13-15,2026, Orlando, FL, learn more and register at naespconferenence.org.

Resources:

Greeting: Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez

Research Assistant: Emma Worthington

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #Startup #XEListeningTour

1
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,480
So generally speaking, our first
year scholars, our freshman

2
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:08,880
scholars, their pitch
presentations are going to focus

3
00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,200
on discovery, the why, What are
you do or the what, what are you

4
00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:15,200
doing?
Why are you doing it?

5
00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,200
What problem is it going to
solve?

6
00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:20,960
And why is it important to you,
right, to really understand?

7
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,920
Do you have the intrinsic
motivation that's going to allow

8
00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,680
you to push through challenges?
Because as we've talked to our

9
00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,800
scholars, 90% of this experience
is going to be learning from

10
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,640
what doesn't work, right?
So really trying to enforce that

11
00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,320
pedagogy of positive failure,
right?

12
00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,800
And then our second years are
moving towards building, right?

13
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,200
Or someone like Malik, who's a
first year, but he's already

14
00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,400
been building, already testing
his his app and has, you know,

15
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,480
Co founders and has funding.
So it really is up to the

16
00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:54,480
student on how fast their
project can develop because this

17
00:00:54,480 --> 00:01:00,040
does take a lot of time outside
of the classroom for them to put

18
00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,080
in to make sure that they are
progressing.

19
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,960
And then as they pitch, they get
feedback on what they can do

20
00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:10,360
better, what they should really
solidify and then also is

21
00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,600
determined on the level of
funding that they receive.

22
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,040
And so there is up to $10,000.
That's.

23
00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:27,760
Hi, I'm Doctor Jacqueline
Rodriguez and I'm the CEO of the

24
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,960
National Center for Learning
Disabilities.

25
00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,840
And you're listening to Add Up
Accelerated Excellence.

26
00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,320
Welcome to the Add Up
Accelerated Excellence podcast,

27
00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,480
and we would like to share an
opportunity for educators to

28
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,920
contribute to our XE Listening
tour this week.

29
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,040
Take time to listen to a
community member regarding their

30
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,440
educational excellence and
equity experience because we

31
00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,640
believe that by listening, we
unlock the engine for powerful

32
00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,800
educational transformation.
Share your insights via

33
00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,080
voicemail at Add Up xe.com and
your comments may be shared on

34
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,199
air with the podcast.
That's the XE Listening Tour at

35
00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,960
edupxe.com.
Attention School Leaders

36
00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,480
Registration is now open for the
National School Leaders

37
00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,080
Conference, powered by the
National Association of

38
00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,320
Elementary School Principals,
happening July 13th through 15th

39
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:29,600
in Orlando, FL Join education
leaders from across the country

40
00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,000
for engaging sessions,
meaningful networking, and

41
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,640
practical ideas you can bring
back to your school immediately.

42
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,480
Whether your focus is
instructional leadership, school

43
00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,240
culture, Wellness, or student
success, you'll leave energized

44
00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:50,240
and equipped for the year ahead.
Plus, enjoy the magic of Disney

45
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,680
while investing in your growth
as a leader.

46
00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:58,480
Learn more and register at
naespconference.org.

47
00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:11,200
That's NAESP conference.org.
Welcome, welcome.

48
00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,240
Welcome to Add Up Accelerated
Excellence, the podcast for the

49
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,000
advancement of educational
excellence and equity.

50
00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:22,200
And I am your host, Jacob
Easley, the second PhD PMP and

51
00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:27,000
we are back at San Francisco Bay
University.

52
00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,720
If you remember, we first bought
spoke to the Provost, Brad

53
00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,560
Fuster there.
And now we want to highlight a

54
00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,360
program that he mentioned, which
is the Scholars program.

55
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,920
And for this episode, we have
Doctor EM Nunez, who is the

56
00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,480
assistant director for Scholar
Support and Educational Access,

57
00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,960
and Malik Haruna, who is the
Chief Technical Officer for a

58
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,800
line and we'll get into that.
So both of you, welcome,

59
00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,040
welcome, welcome to the podcast.
And we'll start with you, Doctor

60
00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:04,800
E, could you give voice to your
name as only you can by greeting

61
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,000
the Add up Accelerated
Excellence community, followed

62
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,640
by Malik and then Dr. E, can you
just tell us what's top of mind

63
00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:18,959
for you right now as we close
out the 20th, 2020, five, 2026

64
00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,519
academic year?
Of course.

65
00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,760
Well, thank you Jaco for having
us today.

66
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,000
It's really an honor to be here
and excited to talk about the

67
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,480
Startup Scholars program with
you.

68
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,680
As mentioned, my name is Doctor
E Nunez.

69
00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,000
I go by Doctor EI, use they them
pronouns, and I have the

70
00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,560
pleasure of serving as the
Assistant Director for Scholar

71
00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,840
Support and Educational Access
at San Francisco Bay University.

72
00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,720
I consider myself a long time
educator.

73
00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:46,440
I come from a family of
educators.

74
00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,960
So this is not only a job, a
profession of mine, but it

75
00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,720
really truly is my life's work
and how I see that I am able to

76
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,400
continue not only my legacy, but
the legacy of my family as

77
00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:04,440
educators for sure.
Thank you for that, Malik.

78
00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,440
Hi, my name is Monique Caruno.
I'm a freshman for upcoming

79
00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,920
sophomore at San Francisco Bay
University, I'm a college record

80
00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,280
alumni from the Grant Center at
PG County, and I'm the Co

81
00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:19,880
founder and CDO of Align
Incorporated.

82
00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:22,520
Oh, excellent.
Thank you.

83
00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,280
So, Dr. E, you mentioned that
you come from a line of

84
00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:29,440
educators.
How influential was that for you

85
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,600
to pursue your own pathway in
the education profession?

86
00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:39,640
Oh, it was essential.
I am adopted, and I was adopted

87
00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,840
by my 7th grade social studies
teacher.

88
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:47,680
And so education went from
something in my life that was

89
00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:53,960
never talked about to then.
It was an expectation and that

90
00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:58,120
was a quick transition for me.
But I quickly realized that, you

91
00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,040
know, given the, the area where
I grew up, you know, being first

92
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,040
Jack myself, first generation
college student, being a student

93
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,920
who's low income, I knew
education was my pathway towards

94
00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:13,520
something meaningful.
And my, my mom and, and the, the

95
00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,920
family really instilled that
into me into the moment.

96
00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,040
They welcomed me into, into the
family.

97
00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,680
Simply put, there would be no
Dr. E without my family

98
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,480
encouraging me again, I thought
high school, you graduate from

99
00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,800
high school, you go to work,
right, Which there's nothing

100
00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,200
wrong with that.
And you know, my pathway was a

101
00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,280
little bit different.
I had opportunities open for me.

102
00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:40,160
I traveled abroad that I never
thought I'd travel abroad.

103
00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,680
I've experienced presenting at
conferences, getting to work

104
00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,800
with students like Malik to
really just pour back into what

105
00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,800
was poured into me.
Because I think that without

106
00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:59,640
that, the legacy of my family as
educators just kind of stops

107
00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:01,440
with me.
And I and I don't want that to

108
00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,000
happen.
I want that to continue that

109
00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,960
process, that reciprocity to
continue to happen.

110
00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,040
Thank you.
And the Scholars program is

111
00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,840
relatively new at San Francisco
Bay University.

112
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:18,000
How did it come to be?
Yes, great question.

113
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,640
So Malik is our second is a part
of our second cohort and we are

114
00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:26,240
getting ready to welcome our
third cohort in the fall of

115
00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,200
2026.
So, you know, the Startup

116
00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,560
Scholars program really came to
be where San Francisco Bay

117
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,000
University is, is in a place
where we're trying to rebrand

118
00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,320
ourselves, trying to really
disrupt higher education in a

119
00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:46,160
way that we know there are
challenges as educators that

120
00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,200
face first generation college
students.

121
00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,320
And unfortunately, a lot of the
issues that faced me as a first

122
00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,400
generation college student
entering as a freshman in fall

123
00:07:55,400 --> 00:08:01,720
of 2003 are similar or the same
that students now entering in

124
00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,320
fall 2026 are facing, right?
So there's been very little

125
00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,080
movement.
And so really this program in

126
00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,640
this university was poised to do
something different.

127
00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,880
And through research found out
that's not surprised to some of

128
00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,040
us that a lot of the barriers
that face first generation

129
00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:23,280
college students are two things
main things, access to

130
00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:29,640
opportunities to people that can
help them carve their own

131
00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,760
pathway forward, whatever that
looks like.

132
00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,360
And also financial barriers.
College is becoming more and

133
00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,480
more expensive these days.
Life is becoming more and more

134
00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:44,640
expensive in California.
We are, we are lucky to have the

135
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,160
California Community College
system that has the California

136
00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,800
promise.
And that is not a pathway for

137
00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,840
all students.
And so really what SFBU has done

138
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,520
is open the pathway, remove
financial barriers through the

139
00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,080
Startup Scholars program, so
that first generation college

140
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:05,600
students from all over the US,
from Washington, DC and Maryland

141
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,120
to where Malik is to New
Orleans, to New York and all

142
00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,520
through California, which those
are the areas that all of our

143
00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,760
scholars represent.
They're able to come here

144
00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,800
without any financial barriers.
And they're really able to come

145
00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:25,120
here to explore ideas, explore
possibilities in a small knit

146
00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:29,440
community that is here for one
purpose and that is for their

147
00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,880
success.
So really the startup scholar

148
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,480
program was an Ave. for students
to come into the university and

149
00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,680
really is one of the main entry
points for first generation

150
00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:45,600
students of color and who are
also low income to enter SFBU.

151
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,400
And so really it's it's been
modeled.

152
00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,600
There are similar programs at
Santa Clara.

153
00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,520
UT State also has a a similar
program.

154
00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,480
So we've definitely taken it's
some best practices from those

155
00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,280
programs and really try to model
it towards what's happening in

156
00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:09,120
Silicon Valley, what's happening
here at SFBU and what we know is

157
00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:10,720
able to set students up for
success.

158
00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,800
And again, that's removing
barriers of financial barriers

159
00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,440
and then providing access.
So I have one last question for

160
00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,400
you before I get to Malik,
because Malik I have quite AI

161
00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,960
want to really know about your
experience, but what was the

162
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,760
decision?
How was the decision to think

163
00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:31,560
about a national model versus a
California or regional based

164
00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:34,920
model?
Right, Well, SMBU has its roots

165
00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:39,280
in being a predominantly
International University, right?

166
00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:43,480
We have a large number of
international students and these

167
00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:48,640
students bring excellent
perspectives, academic knowledge

168
00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,560
and skills to the university.
And one way that our university

169
00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,880
president, President Nicola
Danny saw is that we can also do

170
00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,560
that by increasing our number of
domestic students.

171
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:04,040
So US based students, right?
And you know, California, we are

172
00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,040
lucky that we have a lot of
institutions of higher

173
00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:12,400
education, and we are also lucky
to have very selective

174
00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,360
institutions of higher
education.

175
00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:19,120
And being in the Silicon Valley,
we're in Fremont, CA, so we are

176
00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:23,080
neighbors to Silicon Valley.
Really, this is the space where

177
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,920
innovation is happening.
This is a space where new things

178
00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,080
are being created.
So why not open up that space

179
00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,040
that can be seen as very, very
selective and very, very elite?

180
00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,160
And now why not open that up to
the nation in a time when

181
00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,760
innovation and great ideas are
needed to solve some of the

182
00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,080
world's biggest problems.
And so really the idea was

183
00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,400
always from the beginning was to
Open Access not only to folks

184
00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:49,720
within California, but across
the US.

185
00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:54,720
And I'm sure, as you will hear
from a leak, folks from across

186
00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,440
the US are bringing really great
ideas and doing really great

187
00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,840
things here on campus.
And we couldn't be more happy to

188
00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,560
have folks like Malika in our
program.

189
00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,320
I agree with you that this is
now the time for innovation and

190
00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:11,720
spaces like this.
So I appreciate the time for

191
00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:15,840
both of you today.
And Malik, so how did you come

192
00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:20,720
to learn of the Scholars program
and San Francisco Bay University

193
00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:26,280
in general all?
Righty, so I was being from PZ

194
00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,720
County Maryland.
I went to college.

195
00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,040
This college prep program
typically helps first generation

196
00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:38,080
low income minority students.
I believe now it's more first

197
00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,480
generation students more now as
I believe it's somewhat

198
00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:42,720
different throughout the
country.

199
00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:48,000
My center was funded slash
sponsored by the Durant family.

200
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,560
Something I fig I learned I was
there was Kevin Durant went to

201
00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:54,040
the same middle school I did,
which was across the street from

202
00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:58,920
the college track, but we didn't
go to the same high school, but

203
00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:00,600
try to forget the college track,
which is great.

204
00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,880
They always mentioned to us that
they had college partnerships,

205
00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,680
which would be something that we
could look at when we're looking

206
00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,080
through our college options and
one of the options with San

207
00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,800
Francisco Bay University.
Originally I mentioned to my

208
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:18,120
college advisor that I thought
about going to Schooner Bay

209
00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,960
Area, but that was maybe my
sophomore year might have said

210
00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,400
it one time and I pretty much
forgot about it.

211
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:29,280
She mentioned to me like in
November, hey, remember how you

212
00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,040
say you went to the school in
California?

213
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,640
We have this university and they
have this really nice program.

214
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,440
Start scholars.
If you want to start a business

215
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,520
or start up, they'll fund you,
they'll support right

216
00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:42,080
scholarship.
You should apply.

217
00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:46,080
I did apply.
I got in, I visited back in

218
00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:50,480
January last year.
I was really a little bit

219
00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,760
surprised.
The school has San Francisco in

220
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:59,480
the name and we were in Fremont.
But I so let me give it a

221
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:04,320
chance, see how it goes.
Other like cities maybe It's

222
00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,720
good.
I'm not in a city for university

223
00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,320
and I'm coming and it's been a
year now I've been here.

224
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,440
So coming from the East Coast,
going to West Coast, we don't

225
00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,600
want to get into an East Coast,
West Coast battle.

226
00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,560
But other than not being in San
Francisco, as you mentioned,

227
00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:26,560
given the name of the University
of San Francisco Bay University,

228
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,800
what has surprised you the most?
Two parts.

229
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:36,120
And then what has been the most
exciting aspect of just moving

230
00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:37,640
from the East Coast to the West
Coast?

231
00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:43,320
So I've been around the country
and the world a lot in terms of

232
00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:45,720
living.
I've spent the amount of my life

233
00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,920
in Africa, West Africa, East
Coast now, West Coast now.

234
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,560
One of the things that surprised
me here.

235
00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,000
I've heard a lot online in
Fremont, the drivers aren't very

236
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,720
good.
The drivers are not not very

237
00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,360
good at all.
Not very nice either.

238
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,120
I also thought the people kept
saying this would be like the

239
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,480
best public transportation in
the country.

240
00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:18,800
I cannot.
I like the DC metro better.

241
00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,400
I like the DC metro a lot better
honestly than here.

242
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,320
Yeah, yeah.
I, I, I'm in New York.

243
00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:31,760
So when you compare New York
City to DC, they're different.

244
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,560
New York is a New York.
You take your chance.

245
00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,720
At least DC is a bit more, it
seems a bit more organized and

246
00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,840
cleaner.
I can't speak to what it looks

247
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,640
like on the West Coast, but I
will say the doors in DC do not

248
00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:50,480
open once they start closing on
the on the Metro versus New

249
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:53,560
York, you can put your bag in
the door and it and someone

250
00:15:53,560 --> 00:16:00,600
would open it potentially.
So Dr. E, your Provost mentioned

251
00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:06,160
that one of the crown jewels of
the Scholars program is a

252
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,720
project that students have to
complete.

253
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:13,880
Can you talk about sort of the,
the genesis and the I guess the

254
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,440
parameters are bookends around
the tenants of this project and

255
00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,720
you can name it for us?
Absolutely.

256
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,720
So each scholar coming into the
program must have an idea for

257
00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,800
what we call a passion project.
They don't need to have it fully

258
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,400
thought out.
They don't need to have anything

259
00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:33,560
outside of my idea.
They just have to have this

260
00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,040
intrinsic motivation, something
they are deeply passionate

261
00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:39,000
about.
Because we believe that if they

262
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,760
are deeply passionate about it,
when they hit roadblocks,

263
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,160
they're going to want to persist
and they're going to want to

264
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,440
push through because this is
something that is meaningful to

265
00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:49,440
them.
And so we have 3 buckets of

266
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,840
passion projects that students
work on what is an

267
00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,600
entrepreneurial venture, which
is what Malik is working on with

268
00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,080
this startup align.
These are really your, your,

269
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,680
what you would call typical
startups or businesses you find

270
00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,520
in the Silicon Valley, right?
And then we have something

271
00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,400
called community impact
projects.

272
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,839
And those community impact
projects can be youth youth

273
00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:17,520
mentorship programs.
They can be, you know, things

274
00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:22,400
that provide services to
communities that are in need.

275
00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:27,280
And then our final bucket is a
research project, right?

276
00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,560
And it can be a research project
on anything.

277
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,440
And one of our students
currently is doing a research

278
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:36,920
project on the cognitive impacts
of AI usage, right?

279
00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,840
And so we have, we have projects
that span those three different

280
00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,200
categories.
And really through the Startup

281
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,880
Scholars program, they attend a
seminar which is taught by

282
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,400
faculty here at San Francisco
Bay University.

283
00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:55,120
And that seminar is really
guided as a coaching space.

284
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,280
And so I think that in our in
our first two years, we've

285
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:05,400
learned that students are eager
to get to work, to really dive

286
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:09,120
into their passion projects.
And so in this next year, we're

287
00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:13,520
looking to really reimagine what
the curriculum looks like so

288
00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,280
that way we can make sure that
it is responsive to the needs of

289
00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,400
the students.
It meets students to at where

290
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,480
they're at, where someone like
Malik who is maybe a little in

291
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,360
our group of scholars who are a
little bit more far along and

292
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:29,160
also is conducive to scholars
who are still in that discovery

293
00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,440
phase, right?
And so really we have milestones

294
00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:36,560
for the students to meet and it
can be when they're in the

295
00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,280
discovery phase.
Are you doing your research?

296
00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:42,120
Are you looking at other, for
example, apps?

297
00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:44,520
If you're looking to develop an
app, are you looking at your

298
00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,480
competitors?
How do you look at your

299
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,920
competitors, right?
How do I, how do I leverage AI

300
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:54,680
technology right?
And as someone who did not have

301
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,400
a lot of experience with AI
before coming to SFBUI, really

302
00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,720
sat along with the students to
learn AI and how to use it

303
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,960
properly, how to use it as a
tool, right, and how to embrace

304
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,280
it.
And so through each, each

305
00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:13,160
semester, students are required
to do a pitch presentation.

306
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,640
And this past pitch presentation
is focused on their wherever

307
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:22,440
milestone they are at, right?
So generally speaking, our first

308
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,520
year scholars, our freshman
scholars, their pitch

309
00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,560
presentations are going to focus
on discovery.

310
00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,920
The why, what do you do or the
what, what are you doing?

311
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,040
Why are you doing it?
What problem is it going to

312
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:35,760
solve?
And why is it important to you,

313
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:39,680
right, to really understand?
Do you have the intrinsic

314
00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,440
motivation that's going to allow
you to push through challenges?

315
00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,960
Because as we've talked to our
scholars, 90% of this experience

316
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,440
is going to be learning from
what doesn't work, right?

317
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,080
So really trying to enforce that
pedagogy of positive failure,

318
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,160
right?
And then our second years are

319
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:59,280
moving towards building, right?
Or someone like Malik, who's a

320
00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,320
first year, but he's already
been building, already testing

321
00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,600
his.
Because app it has you know,

322
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,680
cofounders and has funding.
So it really is up to the

323
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,640
student on how fast their
project can develop because this

324
00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:17,200
does take a lot of time outside
of the classroom for them to put

325
00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,280
in to make sure that they are
progressing.

326
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:24,120
And then as they pitch, they get
feedback on what they can do

327
00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:26,200
better, what they should really
solidify.

328
00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,320
And then also is determined on
the level of funding that they

329
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,040
receive.
And so there is up to $10,000

330
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,760
that scholars can receive for
their passion projects depending

331
00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,040
on the type.
And again, in Silicon Valley,

332
00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:45,120
$10,000 is not a lot of money.
So we encourage students, but to

333
00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:49,360
go out and find other folks who
may be able to support their

334
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:52,320
projects, whether it be through
mentorship, whether it be

335
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:54,280
through actual financial
commitments.

336
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:59,400
And so we see this as a place
where we're we're planting the

337
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:04,960
seeds that will initiate that
motivation and that interest to

338
00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,680
move forward in a space like
like Malik has, right?

339
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,280
So that's kind of our passion
project process.

340
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:19,200
That's very helpful.
We're speaking with Doctor EM

341
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:23,280
Nunez, who is assistant director
for Scholar Support and

342
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,360
Educational Access at San
Francisco Bay University and

343
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:31,320
also known as SFBU.
And we're joined with her is

344
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:36,120
Malik Haruna, who is a student,
a scholar there, but is also the

345
00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,800
chief technical officer for
Align.

346
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:43,520
Malik, can you talk a bit about
follow up on doctor ES

347
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,560
description around the
curriculum?

348
00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,480
How has the curriculum in the
Scholars Program supported your

349
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:53,520
academic development there at
San Francisco Bay University?

350
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,880
So currently there's a push for
us to be at our lease at 2.5.

351
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,600
I have been running on the
college Strike standard 3 point

352
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,240
O from high school.
At least to something to strive

353
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,280
for to stay in a program.
Haven't done that for four

354
00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:13,560
years.
I think it's OK to keep it going

355
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:18,840
for another four years.
But besides that we do have

356
00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,640
study jams that happen a couple
times per semester, typically

357
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:27,040
around midterms and finals where
if you're a great point is

358
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,280
scattered up onwards below 3.0
it's a little bit in danger.

359
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:32,480
It's like things, they really
start cascading.

360
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:35,840
You're required to go for at
least an hour each day for about

361
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,200
a week, week and a half.
And overall, it's very good

362
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,920
experience to really have a time
working to sit down where we're

363
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,760
expected to catch up on work.
Go ahead, do what we need to do

364
00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:49,720
so that way we can keep our
scholarship work on our

365
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,840
businesses and not have to fear
losing a scholarship.

366
00:22:53,840 --> 00:23:00,360
The reasons we're here, the
school is very, they put our

367
00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:03,840
education first before the
extracurricular, the start

368
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,400
program itself.
They want to make sure that

369
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,000
we're doing what we're supposed
to do in the classroom before we

370
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,280
do other things.
Especially with my job.

371
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:15,120
I have a job on campus kind of
at the school's incubator.

372
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,760
Rohan, his standard is like
college track standard is 3

373
00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,880
point O.
If we don't have that, then our

374
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,400
job there is in danger.
So that's a very big push for us

375
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:30,320
to keep our grades up.
But clearly you're very busy,

376
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,840
but I want to know a bit more
about a line.

377
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,160
So tell us about a a line.
How did it come to be?

378
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,560
And where are you now on your
project?

379
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:46,440
All right, so I'll get like the
back story from getting here to

380
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,280
get into a line.
When I first came in back in

381
00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:53,000
August, my idea was for
aeroponic farming.

382
00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:56,800
SW Africa, especially Indonesia,
where my family's from, deals

383
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,240
with a very long dry season
where the country is forced into

384
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,040
importing food, vegetables, all
those things which hike up the

385
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,120
prices.
People can't afford it, can't

386
00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:07,920
afford it.
Unfortunately, with aeroponic

387
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:13,120
farming, you can do almost 10
times of farming with 10 times

388
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:15,520
less space, with a lot less
water.

389
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,480
And that was my original idea.
With that, there were some

390
00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:25,880
concerns with how I wouldn't
makes any type of profit or

391
00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,840
income because I didn't want to
make a profit from that as if I

392
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,360
was making profit post exchange
rates I'd have to charge

393
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,400
exorbitant prices, which is the
thing I'm trying to avoid.

394
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,120
It's something I do plan on
doing on my own later on as my

395
00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:42,920
mom is moving back there after I
finish up college, so I was

396
00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:44,680
trying to sign that up whenever
she goes back.

397
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:52,480
Then I moved into what was
basically an Uber copy, but for

398
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:56,120
here is something different.
There's I've got on power and

399
00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:00,240
the DC area.
It's like Uber, but they let the

400
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,720
drivers choose their own rates
and drivers seem to be more

401
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,960
happy.
The users tend to have lower

402
00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,240
costs when they want to order
rideshare.

403
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,560
It tends to be more consistent.
Currently they're expanding and

404
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,400
they weren't on the West Coast
yet, so it's a little bit grimy.

405
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,920
I was thinking about doing that
on the West Coast before they

406
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:21,800
got here, but with how way MO is
another autonomous scars that

407
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:26,720
trend over here, it's not a very
promising trend for a company

408
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,640
like that to at least start our
fresh with nothing here now

409
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:31,920
power.
I'm sure they'll make their way

410
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,960
here eventually.
I think they'll do pretty

411
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:38,240
decent, but around November of
last year I had a conversation

412
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,520
with my now Co founder Andrew
Line.

413
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,720
He's very experienced in the
entire storage space.

414
00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,080
He's a 3X founder.
He's done a lot of consulting

415
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,240
work in the area for the last 20
years and I've been using him.

416
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,000
As for like advice, in November
I was switching to ideas.

417
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,640
I was wanted to ask him, do you
have any throwaway ideas you

418
00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,120
think I could use for our
program?

419
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,720
I'm thinking of two things.
And he said one thing to me,

420
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,360
something he's wanted for the
last 10 years.

421
00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:13,640
He wanted an app that could find
him set like professional

422
00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,800
profile of people whenever he
goes to events.

423
00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,000
Now there's apps like Umbrella
that do that right now, but

424
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,880
those apps end up just being
event apps.

425
00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,080
The apps going to die after you
leave the event.

426
00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:27,960
There's not really any point in
keeping them on your phone.

427
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,720
So taking that as inspiration
and looking at the competitors

428
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:35,160
like landscape, I said to move a
line to be more open world.

429
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:37,560
Originally a line was called the
Xenith Network.

430
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,080
If you look through my LinkedIn,
you'll see that a couple of

431
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:45,800
months ago, but we've been with
that was more so not just

432
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:49,000
professional, it's more really
open use it for friends,

433
00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,320
universities.
That's more so for product, for

434
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,840
people like me, people like
university students.

435
00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:00,000
But to get like the supply side
of things for our app, like the

436
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,880
investors, the VCs, the people
doing like hiring for jobs.

437
00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,640
We want to focus more on
professional so we're not

438
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,680
confusing our customers.
We don't want to be a dating

439
00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:11,960
app.
That's one of the things we want

440
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,720
to avoid the most.
I had another meeting with my Co

441
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:20,960
founder back in February.
So originally he wanted to come

442
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,520
on as an investor because I was
building it out solo at the

443
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,960
time.
But after our conversation I

444
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,140
decided that would be better if
he came out as more for Co

445
00:27:28,140 --> 00:27:31,680
founder as he has a much more
expensive network than I do.

446
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,800
Plus the early capital to get us
up and going and with a

447
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:37,800
decision.
We've not been building

448
00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:39,800
together.
I'm taking care of building the

449
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,440
product, He's taking care of the
more business side of things,

450
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,960
getting us connections, building
out board of directors,

451
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,080
advisors.
In terms of big names we have on

452
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,320
our board of advisors, we
currently have Julia Yan, the

453
00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,280
seat, the Chief Marketing
Officer of TikTok, the one

454
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,960
that's been there since the
original founding team and also

455
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:02,280
the ex Ford president for East
Asia and Southeast Asia.

456
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:08,640
With all of that, we've so far
raised 400 grand for the startup

457
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,120
running that money is committed.
It's not quite in the bank

458
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:14,400
accounts quite yet, but you plan
on finishing up our $1,000,000

459
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:19,800
round by August Currently, I
just submitted for the App Store

460
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,000
yesterday.
So we will hopefully be on the

461
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:28,040
App Store by the start of June,
but our main big launch is

462
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,120
mid-july.
Oh, wow, amazing.

463
00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,720
Wow, really amazing.
I failed to ask you, Malik, what

464
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,680
is your major?
Computer Science, but I am

465
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,320
switching to business.
You know you can, major and

466
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:45,600
minor.
Yep, that's what my friend was.

467
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,480
Major business, minor computer
science.

468
00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,120
The school has a three-year
degree option and a four year

469
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,600
degree option.
I could do the three-year get

470
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,680
off faster.
I decided to stay for the four

471
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,840
years so I can do my computer
science miner.

472
00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,920
Yeah, you can also double major
too, too.

473
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:04,440
Yeah, I forgot about that.
So the Provost did mention

474
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:09,400
there's the the new 90 credit
bachelor's program there at San

475
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,120
Francisco Bay University.
Well, I had to, again, I want to

476
00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:15,520
say kudos because you've been
able to raise capital for this

477
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:19,520
initiative already.
And I think I'm just going to,

478
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:25,440
this is my speculation working
so closely with working so close

479
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:30,400
to the Bay Area, but also, I
mean, San Francisco Bay

480
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:35,160
University is a brand disruptor.
So I think in some ways as a

481
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:40,120
university, it attracts the eye
of certain individuals who would

482
00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:44,800
be poised and would probably be
happy to support a program and

483
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,440
initiatives from the scholars
program.

484
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,840
And if I may, Jacob, I think
what Malik just described, his

485
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:59,920
process of getting to align
right we off is pretty normal of

486
00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:02,680
our scholars.
They come in with lots of ideas

487
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:08,760
and we encourage them to, you
know, iterate through them.

488
00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,480
If something's not working, be
willing to pivot and move on

489
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,680
because that's really the nature
of Silicon Valley, right?

490
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,120
Is the speed of things that are
happening, the speed of

491
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,560
innovation.
And really our goal in the

492
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:28,480
Startup Scholars program is the
skills that students acquire

493
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,280
gain through this process,
right?

494
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:35,040
Not only critical thinking
skills, project management,

495
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:40,120
being able to network with folks
who, who are from all different

496
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:45,160
walks of life, being able to get
capital in that negotiation and

497
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,840
really that courtship, if you
will, when you're talking to a

498
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,200
future investor.
All those things, all those

499
00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,920
skills Malik and our students
are going to be able to take

500
00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:58,280
with them into the, the
workforce, right?

501
00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,160
And they're going to be
marketable from the moment they

502
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:05,200
submit applications.
Now, we don't expect every

503
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,640
student that comes to the
Startup Scholars program to have

504
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:14,160
a full blown tied up in a nice
bow project and a launch project

505
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:18,840
by the time they graduate here.
We want them to be in a position

506
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,000
to take that next step by the
time they graduate.

507
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,360
And if there are students like
Malik who are just hitting the

508
00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:27,840
ground running, her finding
really good traction, we're

509
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,200
finding really good motivation
and are getting these things

510
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,680
done, we want to make sure that
we're supporting them and not

511
00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,640
again removing barriers.
What are things that we can do?

512
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:42,760
Perhaps we can give him more
funding then then he maybe

513
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,280
wouldn't traditionally get at
his stage, right.

514
00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,400
But because there's that work
that's being put in, we want to

515
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:53,360
make sure to to honor that work
and make sure that we are

516
00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,240
supporting the work as much as
possible.

517
00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:00,040
So that's really just, you know,
Malik experienced that in a year

518
00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:05,000
really at the growth that I have
seen in Malik from freshman

519
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,680
first semester to freshman
second semester has really truly

520
00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,160
been inspiring and something
that I hope that can motivate

521
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:17,840
his peers to to use as an
example of how to move through

522
00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:22,880
their own projects.
So I, I want to, I want to think

523
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,920
about this from a cognitive or
socio effective perspective.

524
00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:32,520
So Malik, Dr. E talked about
positive failure and you have

525
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:37,040
you have gone through several
iterations, What has positive

526
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,160
failure meant for you throughout
this process?

527
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,800
And Dr. E, you can join on on
the second part, but Malik, how

528
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,720
have you felt supported?
So Dr. Ian, how has perhaps the

529
00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,880
program supported students
through positive failure?

530
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:53,920
So Malik, positive failure for
you.

531
00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:59,600
So from the beginning, we have
mentors that we meet with

532
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:06,040
somewhat not too often, maybe bi
weekly to monthly and we'll be

533
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,200
able to ask some questions to
there's more like a check up to

534
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,360
see where we are.
And throughout all my ideas,

535
00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:17,000
I've got more like reality text
kind of for my mentors.

536
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,120
My official mentor was thought
we he kind of gave me a reality

537
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,600
check a lot for a lot of my
ideas as a lot of them were very

538
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:33,000
resourced and capital intensive
and feels that have been so over

539
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,160
saturated by big players that
coming in as a new player

540
00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:43,200
wouldn't be possible solo at the
very least and especially 1.

541
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:48,800
The somebody I've taken well not
as a mentor really, but worked

542
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:50,760
for Rohan Brown for the end of
eBay.

543
00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:52,920
I've been thinking with him a
lot.

544
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:57,440
Whenever I can get a chance to
buy my idea, my ideas, he's

545
00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:00,120
going to be good like, like
solid reality checks.

546
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:04,040
He's not afraid to really tell
me the honest truth about

547
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,280
things.
And that's helped me a lot.

548
00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:07,880
Quite honestly.
He's part of the reason I've

549
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:13,600
tried so hard to push ahead with
my ideas sitting at my desk all

550
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:18,199
day for weeks, because he's told
me the honest truth.

551
00:34:19,159 --> 00:34:22,920
If you don't, if you have a good
idea and you don't implement it

552
00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:27,600
quickly, somebody else will have
that same idea and do it faster

553
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,440
than you will and get to the
customers faster than you will.

554
00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,320
So that's been the thing I've
been running with.

555
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:38,560
So having all these mentors here
has been great for me to want to

556
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:45,520
speed up a little bit my pace on
how I go about this in terms of

557
00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:48,840
positive failure.
It's just here in the honest

558
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:55,719
truth from the mentors that
these ideas are very good and

559
00:34:55,719 --> 00:35:00,800
also doing some research on my
own time, which the matter

560
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:02,880
starts to do.
Do some market research, see

561
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,440
what the competitors are looking
like, what the market even

562
00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:08,160
wants.
One of the things Rohan tells me

563
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,520
and others work on an eBay don't
want to build startup are is

564
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:19,320
don't build anything until you
talk to 300 people and then

565
00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:23,240
after that go and build
something pointing out 300

566
00:35:23,240 --> 00:35:27,320
people, taking source and quote
what they said to you, don't

567
00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:31,040
build anything.
I may have skipped a couple 100

568
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:35,240
people, but for me it's it's
worked, it's worked out, it's

569
00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:36,640
worked out, it's worked out for
me.

570
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,520
This is something that's been
wanted by lot.

571
00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,160
We've heard from people this is
on that they've wanted,

572
00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:45,080
especially my Co founder.
He's done the outreach himself

573
00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,480
as well.
I'm sure by now we've had those

574
00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,360
300 people.
We've been actively on this for

575
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,480
the last three ish months.
We've gone to multiple events.

576
00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:56,080
I'm sure we've hit those trainer
people in terms of people we've

577
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,600
talked to.
So yeah.

578
00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,600
So, Malik, I I know, Doctor,
Yeah, you want to do you want to

579
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,520
ask something about support?
But I, I'm traveling at the bit

580
00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:11,280
here because Malik, you talked
about one of the advice you that

581
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:15,000
you received was if you have a
good idea, begin initiating.

582
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:19,960
Because if you wait too long,
what would be the conflict

583
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:24,600
between sort of sourcing 300
people and getting started?

584
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,480
And I, I know you have to have
some sound evidence to make sure

585
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:31,360
this is viable, but how do you
manage that notion?

586
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,840
Because you said that you
started prior to reaching the

587
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,200
full 300 number.
Yeah.

588
00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:42,240
So that trainer number, I think
that's more relevant if you're

589
00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:45,560
hiring people to do like build
things like if they're

590
00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:50,360
sharpening and real money into
like the development of how AI

591
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:53,240
is now.
Quite honestly, anybody you can

592
00:36:53,240 --> 00:36:57,320
become a developer.
You maybe watch a couple YouTube

593
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,600
courses on the case of
fundamentals of software

594
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:02,480
development.
Just know the basic knowledge,

595
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:04,160
data structures, things like
that.

596
00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:08,480
But otherwise, airbag can
develop as long as you can be a

597
00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:14,480
project manager, know what to
ask for or have eyes see what

598
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:19,000
you don't like as to change it.
So I can do that, you'll be

599
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,320
fine.
I've been using cloud a lot.

600
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:28,600
I think starting off back in mid
February, February, I started

601
00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:35,080
off using developing like really
originally it was about 20 bucks

602
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:39,360
down 1 to $100 membership and
now to the $200 membership.

603
00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:43,040
So I've been trying to get my
use out of it, but it's cheaper

604
00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:45,760
than hiring somebody.
The investment isn't really

605
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:47,960
crazy.
We have all of our expenses

606
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:49,920
here.
Taking care of housing, food,

607
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,040
transportation isn't really a
cost because we live across the

608
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,520
street from the university.
So for my job, I guess I have

609
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:58,920
some extra money I've decided to
put into more.

610
00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:01,400
So kind of bootstrapping at the
beginning.

611
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,000
Now that we have the funding,
it's not really bootstrapping

612
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,440
for real anymore.
We kind of have that capital to

613
00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,680
burn through.
But I started building so I can

614
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:16,640
get people like a visual of how
I wanted it to be at the

615
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,760
beginning.
I started going to events

616
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:22,120
initially before I started
building building, but had like

617
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,800
a little mock up.
I think I used lovable first

618
00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:26,640
semester.
That's what the program was

619
00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,520
asking us to use to build like
mock ups of our ideas to just

620
00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:33,320
build a quick visual mock up.
See tell people what it would

621
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,480
look like.
Originally it was very dating

622
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,680
IP.
I got some feedback on that,

623
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:43,400
that maybe it shouldn't be very
like, you know, swipey dating IP

624
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,280
had.
I noticed it's convenient, but I

625
00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:51,600
noticed that that's probably not
the best image to give off for a

626
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,480
professional app.
One of the things some people

627
00:38:54,480 --> 00:39:02,400
mentioned was the substance.
You want to match people to be

628
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,440
connecting without substance
versus just their visual, what

629
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:10,080
they look like.
And originally we were anonymous

630
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:13,560
first, like everybody on your
discovery, be anonymous that

631
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,080
after you match, you can decide
to reveal and then they see each

632
00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,520
other.
But after some feedback from

633
00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,880
people just have to go more
public, push the boundary a

634
00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:27,160
little bit in terms of privacy.
Our mindset was think companies

635
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:31,600
like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Uber
and Lyft letting random

636
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:34,720
strangers into your car or
getting into a random strangers

637
00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,080
car.
If I before that may not have

638
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:41,440
been very accepted, like
something people would think

639
00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,040
will be normal as it is now, but
they push that boundary a little

640
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,520
bit.
Airbnb going to a random

641
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:50,800
stranger's house or running
random strangers into your

642
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,440
house, typically not really
accepted, but they're pushing

643
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,600
that boundary just a little bit.
But now we want to push that

644
00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,880
boundary in a more professional
space just a little bit more.

645
00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,800
Well, two things.
We know you have strong feelings

646
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:07,120
about dating apps, or at least
those features.

647
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:09,560
But you know, it's so
interesting.

648
00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:12,480
You think you made me think
about this notion of a stranger

649
00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,480
getting your car in certain
communities.

650
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:20,200
That was really how things work.
So we had certain communities

651
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:24,120
that had unofficial taxis.
So you show up at the and this

652
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,280
is in Philadelphia.
I remember years ago traveling

653
00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,440
to Philadelphia.
I think they call it that hat or

654
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,440
hat or something.
And I didn't know what that was,

655
00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:33,800
but it's basically somebody who
has a car and do you need a

656
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,920
ride?
And it was much cheaper than the

657
00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,680
yellow taxi or whatever color
the taxis were.

658
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:44,120
So in certain communities,
people were very used to sort of

659
00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:49,360
this idea of community share.
I think it's for certain class

660
00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:53,040
of folks and certain other
environments that it's become a

661
00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:57,920
bit more normalized.
Dr. E So how do you, on sort of

662
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,480
programming side, help students
with this idea of positive

663
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:06,200
failure?
Yeah, it's something that is can

664
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,720
be really difficult in this
generation of instant

665
00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:14,720
gratification, right?
They see things on social media

666
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,160
and they kind of want to start
at step 20 before even, you

667
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,400
know, lining up at the at the
starting line.

668
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:26,360
And so really it's about drawing
back to their why, why this

669
00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:29,560
project of all the things you
can do in the world, why this

670
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,560
project, right?
And I think when we, when I,

671
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:36,760
when we focus on that intrinsic
motivation and we tie it back to

672
00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:41,040
that, then it's almost like
there's this realization that

673
00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:45,880
sometimes these, these projects
can be bigger than them in terms

674
00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,000
of the impact that it can have,
right?

675
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,440
But it's also comes from their
own lived experiences, right?

676
00:41:52,720 --> 00:41:55,960
As Lily shared, the iterations
that he went through, all of

677
00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:58,400
the, a lot of the iterations
that he went through were

678
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:02,080
because he had a personal lived
experienced with those

679
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:06,560
challenges and wanted to make it
better for folks who had similar

680
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:09,480
challenges, right?
So I found that if I center, the

681
00:42:09,720 --> 00:42:14,840
Y students are more likely and
more open to the failure piece,

682
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:17,240
right?
And it's really about reframing

683
00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:20,240
the failure.
OK, so you want to create, We

684
00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:23,080
have a student who wants to
create an AI cushion, right?

685
00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:26,520
Because his he has a lot of
family members that are

686
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,360
commercial truck drivers.
They suffer from a lot of back

687
00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,520
pain, those kinds of things.
And he cares about their house.

688
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,600
So he wants to create an AI
cushion.

689
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:37,720
He is not a computer science
major.

690
00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:40,840
So he'll come to me and say,
Doctor Eve, I'm not a coder.

691
00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:44,640
I don't know how to do that.
So then really going back to

692
00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:49,200
like, OK, how can we leverage AI
to help you do that?

693
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:53,240
Or can it doesn't make more
sense to use some of your

694
00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:56,720
funding to pay a fellow student
or because we have graduate

695
00:42:56,720 --> 00:43:01,080
students here as well to fit to
pay a graduate student to help

696
00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:04,000
you code, right?
Do you need to find a Co founder

697
00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,480
like Malik did that takes care
of that kind of coding piece

698
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:09,640
where you can take care of the
business piece?

699
00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:15,160
So really it's about offering
solutions, multimodal solutions,

700
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:19,320
and allowing students to see
that even though my project, I

701
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:24,360
see my project may be in this
very big complex thing, how can

702
00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:28,480
we scaffold it so that that
failure doesn't feel

703
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:31,520
detrimental?
And it really is seen as like,

704
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:33,800
OK, this is just a set back,
right?

705
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,080
And all I got to do is work
through this little thing,

706
00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,960
right?
And so really scaffolding it to,

707
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:42,160
again, wherever the student is
at, the way I would scaffold

708
00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,720
something for Malik in terms of
where he is at in his project is

709
00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:48,400
going to be very different.
The way I scaffold something for

710
00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,040
who is someone maybe when our
freshmen come in next year where

711
00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,360
they're just in this discovery
phase, right?

712
00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:58,440
So again, it's truly is meeting
where the student, where the

713
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,320
student is AT, and then putting
people in front of them that are

714
00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:05,640
also going to support them.
For example, our two faculty who

715
00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:08,800
teach the seminar have
experience in startups, have

716
00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:12,760
experience in going through that
iteration themselves, have

717
00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:15,720
experienced failed projects,
have experienced successful

718
00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:19,120
businesses.
Malik has mentioned Rohan Brown,

719
00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:23,240
the founder and managing
director of Innovate Bay here.

720
00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:28,120
And I think that Rohan plays a
big part in serving as a role

721
00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:34,200
model, as an, as a Black man
running an the innovate Bay here

722
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,880
for our, for our black students,
right?

723
00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,040
And I'm really all any of our
Black and brown students.

724
00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:43,560
He serves as a as a mentor, as a
representative of what students

725
00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:46,000
can be.
And we have staff mentors.

726
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:48,960
I cannot tell you how many times
students want Rohan as their

727
00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:53,040
mentor because they know he has
extremely high standards, but

728
00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:56,360
that if you meet those standards
and you put in the work, Rohan

729
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:57,840
is going to support you.
Right?

730
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,160
Sending them out to events,
being willing to pay for events

731
00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,680
and if it's a ticket, if it's
transportation, if it means

732
00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:07,400
maybe giving them an excused
absence because it is something

733
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:10,920
that is really, really super
aligned to their project, right?

734
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:16,040
So again, it really is about
reframing the failure and always

735
00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:18,840
tying it to the why.
Because if we tie it to the why,

736
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:23,440
then they're more likely to kind
of, you know, do what they need

737
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,240
to do to get through that
process.

738
00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:30,400
I like that because I think we
hear that a lot for anyone, any

739
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,040
project really.
It's the why, particularly if

740
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:37,880
you want to, if you want someone
to invest deeply, is it has to

741
00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:41,720
be aligned with sort of as you
mentioned earlier, project

742
00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:45,040
compassion project, but anchored
by the why.

743
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:47,960
Good clarity around why are you
doing this.

744
00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:53,200
Thank you for listening to the
Ed Up Accelerated Excellence

745
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:56,160
Podcast, and we would like to
share an opportunity for

746
00:45:56,160 --> 00:45:59,960
educators to contribute to our
XE Listening tour this week.

747
00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:02,840
Take time to listen to a
community member regarding their

748
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:06,320
educational excellence and
equity experience because we

749
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:09,720
believe that by listening, we
unlock the engine for powerful

750
00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:12,960
educational transformation.
Share your insights via

751
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:17,520
voicemail at Ed Up xe.com, and
your comments may be shared on

752
00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:20,480
air with the podcast.
That's the XE listening Torrid

753
00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:25,720
at up xe.com.
School leaders, have you ever

754
00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:28,800
hit a point in the school year
where you're pouring into

755
00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:33,120
everyone else, but realizing no
one is pouring into you?

756
00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:38,120
That's exactly why the National
School Leaders Conference exists

757
00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,360
July 13th through 15th in
Orlando.

758
00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:46,120
NAESP is bringing together
principals and school leaders

759
00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:49,160
from across the country for a
few days of learning,

760
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:53,960
connection, engagement, and real
world conversations about

761
00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:56,920
leadership.
It's more than a conference.

762
00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:01,520
It's a chance to step away from
the daily demands, recharge your

763
00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:06,000
mindset, and return to your
school with fresh ideas and

764
00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:10,120
renewed purpose.
Because strong leaders deserve

765
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:15,040
spaces to grow too.
Learn more at NAESP

766
00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:20,840
conference.org.
That's NAESP conference.org.

767
00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,520
I want to know from both of you
and just dream for a bit and

768
00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:38,160
just give me 3 descriptors.
If we were to rebuild higher

769
00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:42,040
education to support students
like Malik, what do you

770
00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:44,880
recommend?
Just three recommendations.

771
00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:46,960
And Malik, you're on the hook
for this as well.

772
00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:51,000
So what do you think other
students like you would need if

773
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:52,840
we were to rebuild higher
education?

774
00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:56,520
Just three top things.
I think I can.

775
00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:58,560
I can kick us off.
The first thing that really

776
00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:06,240
comes to mind is to be quite
honest, a look in the mirror for

777
00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:08,320
a lot of the higher education
institutions.

778
00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:13,240
Because I think a lot of times
the research will tell us, you

779
00:48:13,240 --> 00:48:15,880
know, the challenges that first
generation college students

780
00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,960
face.
And we know best practices,

781
00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:24,560
right?
But I think a lot of times folks

782
00:48:24,560 --> 00:48:29,560
are not aware or don't take the
time to understand their own

783
00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:34,320
bias when it comes to supporting
first generation college

784
00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:36,320
students who are low income,
right?

785
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:40,880
Research also shows that when
you have high standards for

786
00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:44,000
students, they are more likely
to meet them.

787
00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:48,320
And so I think it really begins
with educators and decision

788
00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:53,080
makers really looking in the
mirror and saying, what am I

789
00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:57,680
doing in my role wherever I sit
in this university to either

790
00:48:57,680 --> 00:49:01,360
enhance student experiences or
hinder them, right?

791
00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:04,360
And we're all human.
There's going to be things that

792
00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:07,880
we may do that unintentionally
hinder a student from doing

793
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,360
something.
It just means we're human.

794
00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:12,320
It doesn't mean we're, it
doesn't mean we're a bad

795
00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:14,520
educator.
So I think a lot of it is just

796
00:49:14,520 --> 00:49:18,840
looking in the mirror and what
are those biases that are either

797
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:24,480
subconsciously or otherwise
directing our decisions right on

798
00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:26,640
how we support students.
So I think that's one.

799
00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:32,800
Two, I think there needs to be
more willingness to invest in

800
00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:36,080
student ideas and student LED
initiatives.

801
00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:40,760
A lot of times in higher Ed we
get put on task force and

802
00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:45,520
committees and things like that
to assess a certain thing or try

803
00:49:45,520 --> 00:49:51,160
to navigate a certain topic.
And often students are left out

804
00:49:51,160 --> 00:49:54,880
of those places, right?
So really willing to invest in

805
00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:59,520
student ideas and initiatives
and invest not only financially,

806
00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:04,080
but in time, giving students
time to voice their thoughts and

807
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,600
ideas, giving them space to do
so.

808
00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:12,080
And I think also, again, the
third thing I would say is

809
00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:15,840
really meeting the student where
they're at.

810
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:20,400
A lot of Times Higher Education
can kind of do these cookie

811
00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:24,560
cutter projects, right?
Or programs because it worked at

812
00:50:24,560 --> 00:50:28,360
another university, right?
Or it's works here, right?

813
00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:32,440
And really what we've done with
the Startup Scholars program is

814
00:50:32,440 --> 00:50:36,520
we've seen what works at, let's
say, a Santa Clara or Utah.

815
00:50:37,080 --> 00:50:41,000
And we said, OK, now let's
figure out what works here at

816
00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:44,800
SFBU and most importantly, what
works here in the Silicon

817
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:48,800
Valley, which is very different
than Santa Clara and Utah,

818
00:50:49,040 --> 00:50:51,720
right?
So I think sometimes we can be

819
00:50:51,720 --> 00:50:55,360
very quick to cherry pick what
works at other universities and

820
00:50:55,360 --> 00:50:57,760
expect them to work at our
institutions.

821
00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:01,400
And there isn't that time to
really think through how do I

822
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,400
truly connect this to the
students that we serve.

823
00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:06,480
And so those are the three
things that I would say.

824
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:13,240
When leak you ready?
Yeah.

825
00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:18,360
So I will say from my
perspective as this is only USC

826
00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:20,720
I've been to, I've met two other
universities.

827
00:51:20,720 --> 00:51:25,480
So I'll speak based off my time
here and let's see things I

828
00:51:25,480 --> 00:51:31,360
would have maybe preferred to
see differently for a purse one.

829
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:35,680
I think with what you were
saying about cookie cutter

830
00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:43,000
programs, if the program was a
little bit more instead of

831
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:49,960
setting a goal point and it's
waiting for us to get there like

832
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:51,440
our choice, we want to do it or
not.

833
00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:58,600
Marshall pushing us towards that
goal point and like a higher

834
00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:01,800
intensity way.
That's far my conversations with

835
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:06,160
Rohan where he's more so pushing
you towards reaching those goal

836
00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:10,000
points in like a super
competitive, super high stakes.

837
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:13,200
Like he likes to treat it almost
like a student athlete program.

838
00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:18,360
Although the school doesn't have
athletics, this could be

839
00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:22,360
somewhat adapted to a student
athlete program here.

840
00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:33,400
That's what we're going to say.
I'm thinking one of the things I

841
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:40,320
may have missed out here on
being community, One of the

842
00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:43,880
thoughts I had before this
podcast when it came to that

843
00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:49,160
question of community being the
school is new in terms of

844
00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:52,360
rebranding, the recent
reduction, more domestic

845
00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:59,240
students.
And I would say the expectation

846
00:52:59,240 --> 00:53:01,920
is kind of we be the ones that
start the community.

847
00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:07,800
But sometimes, and for a
community like this in a sharp

848
00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:12,800
like ecosystem, I'd prefer being
a community of people who are

849
00:53:13,320 --> 00:53:18,360
treating their setups as plan A
and Plan B, Plan C, Plan D or

850
00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:20,360
just a little side school
project.

851
00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:24,640
And this is that many, not that
many, quite honestly, that I've

852
00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:27,080
seen with my own eyes.
Maybe there's people doing in

853
00:53:27,080 --> 00:53:28,960
the background in the shoe
that's not fit.

854
00:53:29,240 --> 00:53:33,720
Please don't put it on.
But it's a great community like

855
00:53:33,720 --> 00:53:35,760
that.
It'd require people who are like

856
00:53:35,760 --> 00:53:38,440
super, super passionate.
I think that can only be done at

857
00:53:38,440 --> 00:53:42,480
the program is more pushing
students towards like getting up

858
00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:46,160
and going with what they're
doing and not being just a maybe

859
00:53:47,080 --> 00:53:51,280
a side project that they can
look at maybe once a week, maybe

860
00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:54,320
a couple, maybe 30 minutes an
hour on it just thinking about

861
00:53:54,320 --> 00:53:55,560
it and go back to them.
Whatever.

862
00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:02,400
My idea was how we want to see
something that's like fully

863
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:05,200
fledged until I'm leaving as we
just don't have that many people

864
00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:08,480
in general yet.
So maybe one of some graduating.

865
00:54:08,600 --> 00:54:13,640
It's more of like a set thing
that's like up and going for a

866
00:54:13,640 --> 00:54:19,120
new students at least.
And I think those two final one,

867
00:54:20,560 --> 00:54:22,360
this sort of ties in with the
whole accelerating part.

868
00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:26,960
Imagine if a startup incubator
as an accelerator could be year

869
00:54:26,960 --> 00:54:32,000
round.
If I had to have a preferred

870
00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:35,040
vision of like a program like
this will be for your students,

871
00:54:35,760 --> 00:54:39,760
maybe like an incubator, like
why see all those things that

872
00:54:39,760 --> 00:54:43,360
runs year round.
You get us some resources.

873
00:54:43,960 --> 00:54:45,560
It's like a, it's like a
difference.

874
00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:48,680
You know, you go to like AYC,
all those incubators there for

875
00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:52,960
12 weeks, 3 months and you
leave, you're out there.

876
00:54:53,040 --> 00:54:56,000
So you have your network from
before, but you're kind of out

877
00:54:56,000 --> 00:54:59,400
there in the wild now maybe
really great.

878
00:54:59,400 --> 00:55:02,840
We're here for at least three
years up to four years and that

879
00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:07,200
incubator style and those two
resources students could have

880
00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:09,760
those year round for the four
years.

881
00:55:10,240 --> 00:55:14,240
So we get a multiplier on the
benefits.

882
00:55:14,240 --> 00:55:17,560
People who would who don't have
this program at universities but

883
00:55:17,560 --> 00:55:19,880
would have a Cuba that they
applied for would have.

884
00:55:19,880 --> 00:55:22,920
It could be like a year round YC
kind of thing.

885
00:55:23,760 --> 00:55:26,160
That would be something that guy
really enjoy, honestly.

886
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:29,560
I appreciate it.
Thank you from both of you.

887
00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:32,800
And we're speaking with Doctor
EM Nunez, who is Assistant

888
00:55:32,800 --> 00:55:37,360
Director for Scholar Support and
Educational Access at San

889
00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:42,840
Francisco Bay University, along
with Malika Arona, who is a

890
00:55:43,720 --> 00:55:48,440
rising and sophomore, but is
also the Chief Technical Officer

891
00:55:48,440 --> 00:55:52,960
for Align, which is his startup.
What is next for each of you?

892
00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:56,080
And how might the add Up
Accelerated Excellence community

893
00:55:56,080 --> 00:56:01,360
connect with that work?
Yeah, I mean, this summer we

894
00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:04,560
have a busy summer.
As Malik shared, there are some

895
00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:10,560
areas that we really want to
advance in and and develop to

896
00:56:10,560 --> 00:56:13,280
make sure we're meeting students
where they're at.

897
00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:15,880
And so we're really looking
taking the time this summer to

898
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:20,040
look at the curriculum to make
sure that we are effectively

899
00:56:20,040 --> 00:56:22,920
serving all students dis
regardless of the stage that

900
00:56:22,920 --> 00:56:24,640
they're at with their passion
project.

901
00:56:25,440 --> 00:56:28,320
So that's going to be our
biggest project this summer.

902
00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:33,480
We'll be ready to welcome our
third cohort in August of

903
00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:36,680
students as well.
And you know, the community can

904
00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:40,000
then connect with me on
LinkedIn, happy to connect talk

905
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,760
about the project to either a
community of students.

906
00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:47,400
You support high school students
at any age.

907
00:56:48,000 --> 00:56:50,720
In fact, we still have spots
open in our Startup Scholars

908
00:56:50,720 --> 00:56:53,800
program for the Fall 2020 sixth
semester.

909
00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:58,280
So if anyone out there knows a
high school senior that is still

910
00:56:58,280 --> 00:57:01,360
trying to figure out what they
want to do after they graduate,

911
00:57:01,680 --> 00:57:04,280
feel free to connect with me.
Happy to share more about our

912
00:57:04,280 --> 00:57:09,520
project and connect folks with
some of our scholars like Malik.

913
00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:15,160
And for me, we're getting on the
App Store.

914
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:18,760
I believe this month we are
playing on big major launch in

915
00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:22,280
mid-july, a conference that we
are working on a partnership

916
00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:25,360
with right now.
Currently, if you are somebody

917
00:57:25,360 --> 00:57:29,120
who hosts events, get togethers
or even just leads a community

918
00:57:29,720 --> 00:57:35,240
and you want to help people find
their connections easier, boost

919
00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:37,760
our attention of people coming
back to your events because they

920
00:57:37,760 --> 00:57:40,200
know when they come to your
events, they'll find people

921
00:57:40,200 --> 00:57:43,160
they're looking for.
Or just keep your people that

922
00:57:43,160 --> 00:57:47,400
actually sign up for your events
showing you up in like total and

923
00:57:47,400 --> 00:57:49,920
not skipping because they think
they won't find the right people

924
00:57:49,920 --> 00:57:51,840
there.
Let us be your app.

925
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:54,200
Currently, we have our wait list
up and open.

926
00:57:54,440 --> 00:58:01,080
It's ALINE dot network on Google
can search that up, turn our

927
00:58:01,080 --> 00:58:03,720
wait list and we'll send you an
e-mail when we're up and going.

928
00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:10,280
And if you're a investor
recruiter, people on those like

929
00:58:10,280 --> 00:58:12,960
those more like like you want
that people.

930
00:58:13,640 --> 00:58:17,000
If you see your LinkedIn, I get
tons of connection requests from

931
00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:20,120
rented people.
Let's let's get you on our app.

932
00:58:20,120 --> 00:58:24,800
Let's let's start filtering
those people for you and your

933
00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:28,920
direct proximity.
So I want to thank both of you

934
00:58:28,920 --> 00:58:33,400
for this opportunity to learn
with and from you here at Add Up

935
00:58:33,400 --> 00:58:36,840
Accelerated Excellence where we
seek to advance educational

936
00:58:36,840 --> 00:58:39,720
excellence and equity.
Thank you both.

937
00:58:40,920 --> 00:58:41,920
Thank you.
Thank you.

938
00:58:45,840 --> 00:58:49,280
Thank you for engaging with ET
UP Accelerated Excellence, a

939
00:58:49,280 --> 00:58:53,240
member of the ET UP Experience
network of educational podcasts,

940
00:58:53,240 --> 00:58:56,480
and we encourage you to
participate in our XE Listening

941
00:58:56,480 --> 00:58:59,440
Tour by listening to the
educational stories of others

942
00:58:59,520 --> 00:59:04,040
and sharing your thoughts with
us at EDUP. xe.com school

943
00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:07,320
leaders join us at the National
Association of Elementary School

944
00:59:07,320 --> 00:59:11,160
Principals conference in
Orlando, FL, July 13th through

945
00:59:11,160 --> 00:59:14,520
15th.
Learn more and register at NAESP

946
00:59:14,520 --> 00:59:17,280
conference.org.
You can find this and other

947
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:20,800
episodes on Spotify,
iHeartRadio, Apple Radio,

948
00:59:20,800 --> 00:59:23,800
YouTube, and other outlets where
you listen to your favorite

949
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:26,400
podcast.
If you like this episode, don't

950
00:59:26,400 --> 00:59:28,960
forget to follow us and share
within your network.

951
00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:33,680
To leave a comment or suggest a
guest, contact us online at EDUP

952
00:59:33,680 --> 00:59:36,720
xe.com.
A special thanks to our research

953
00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:40,360
assistant, Emma Worthington, a
PhD student of Fordham

954
00:59:40,360 --> 00:59:43,440
University School Psychology
Program, and we want to hear

955
00:59:43,440 --> 00:59:45,800
from you.
If you have feedback on this or

956
00:59:45,800 --> 00:59:49,360
other episodes, or would like to
nominate a guest, contact us.

957
00:59:49,360 --> 00:59:53,880
Online at EDUP xe.com, where you
can leave an e-mail or a voice

958
00:59:53,880 --> 00:59:56,680
message.
That's at up xe.com.

Malik Harouna Profile Photo

CTO

Co-founder and CTO of ALINE a professional networking app that finds you the hidden connections in your direct proximity 24/7.
Startup Scholar at San Francisco Bay University 2029
College Track Alumni

Dr. E. M. Profile Photo

Nuñez

E. M. Nuñez, Ed.D. (they/them) is a higher education and nonprofit leader with over 15 years of experience advancing equity-driven programs for first-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students. With a doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University Long Beach, their work centers on decolonizing educational practices and building culturally relevant pathways to college access and student success. Their mission is to motivate others through collaboration and authenticity to build communities grounded in humility and reciprocity, where people, regardless of background or zip code, feel empowered to live fully and overcome systemic barriers. Dr. Nuñez has led cross-functional teams, managed large-scale programs and budgets, and directed initiatives in college access, undergraduate research, and student affairs at institutions and nonprofits across the country. They bring a holistic, student-centered, and justice-focused lens to every space they serve.