Allison Godfrey ’19 was one of the first students to graduate with the newly formed Concept, Creation and Commercialization (C3) certificate presented by Engineering Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. This certificate was modeled for students to gain skills as a self-starter and learn entrepreneurial expertise.
Q: What opportunities do you think the C3 certificate has opened for students?
A: I believe this program has allowed students to utilize their engineering skills in a different way by giving them the platform to be bring their ideas to life and the support they need start a business. It has also given them a look into the business/startup world and taught them how to be a successful leader and pioneer in a company.
Q: From your experience, how has this certificate shaped your academic pursuits?
A: My experience with this program has made me aware of my strengths and skills that I would have never known if I was just taking engineering classes. I learned how to pitch and sell an idea, how to inspire a team, PowerPoint and presentation skills, business and financial planning, etc. These are all skills that I would not have been exposed to in my engineering coursework, and I am glad I was able to learn early in my college career because I was able to directly apply these skills to my internships and part-time jobs, more than I did my engineering knowledge.
Q: How do you think the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program will improve to help other students expand their innovativeness?
A: As the program grows, I believe students will be given more opportunities to bring their designs to life through rapid prototyping and fabrication, along with more resources for mentorship to guide them through the beginning stages of starting a company. As more classes encourage prototyping or business modeling, students will have more opportunities to develop a design, iterate and pitch – therefore expanding their innovativeness.
Q: How has being one of the first recipients of this certificate impacted your future and how you view yourself?
A: I am so grateful to have started this program early in my college career because it has truly made me realize what I enjoy doing and helped me develop critical skills that I couldn’t develop in my mechanical engineering courses. I learned that I love pitching ideas and presenting to investors about a project I am passionate about. After presenting countless times through this program, I also developed PowerPoint skills that I am constantly being praised on, along with communication skills to convey a point efficiently and concisely. These passions and skills I learned are what made me realize I wanted to go into management consulting, rather than an engineering job. I realized I wanted to solve problems in companies and present solutions to upper management, utilizing my presentation and communication skills I developed in this program. If I hadn’t taken these entrepreneurship classes, I would probably be working as an entry level engineer right now and not have realized my true passions. I am so grateful for this opportunity to grow outside of my engineering coursework and truly discover what I enjoy doing.
Q: What are some things you wish future students knew about the certificate?
A: I wish students knew how applicable the certificate is to people that may not want to start a company anytime soon, or even start a company at all. Everything we learn can be applied within an existing company, such as how to be a better leader or manager, how to develop an idea or product within a company, or even fundamental intellectual property knowledge. You are learning more than just how to start your own company, but you learn the fundamentals of how to succeed as a leader within any organization.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
A: I would encourage every engineer to take the entrepreneurship hour class at some point in their college career. That class completely changed me and my ambitions, inspiring me to be an entrepreneur and dream bigger dreams. Every entrepreneurship class I took was my favorite class of that semester since it gave me a platform to think and learn outside of the engineering curriculum and use different parts of my brain and skill set. I could not be more grateful for Professors Boehm and Donnell for constantly mentoring and encouraging me over the past three years. It was a pleasure to learn from such highly respected and accomplished men, that I know I will stay in contact for years to come.
For more information on the C3 certificate, visit the C3 Certification website.