“The Study & Internship Program was what really solidified my desire to become an entrepreneur. I interned for a small start-up tech company in Berlin, so I got to know the joys and pains of trying to build something with creative ideas. Because of the smaller team dynamics, I had a lot more input and contribution to the whole process, but also a lot more responsibility to back ideas with hard work.” |
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From SIP to social entrepreneurship |
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In July 2011, after graduating from Indiana University at Bloomington, SIP 2009-10 alumnus Jeremy Pingul took a one-way flight to Spain, and proceeded to make his way east to Turkey. This may sound like a particularly adventurous version of your typical post-graduation travel spree, but in this case, there's more to it. Jeremy's travels are the footwork for a new social venture - Connect One Threads - he’s preparing to launch in Turkish organic textiles, including building working relationships with various stakeholders in the organic clothing supply chain in the region. |
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Tell us a little about where you've been since graduating and where you're headed. |
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My idea was to travel the sustainable clothing supply chain from the clothing brands all the way to the farmers, though I did make some random stops along the way (e.g. Morocco and Iraq). Because there’s a more environmentally and socially conscious mindset in Europe, I was able to find brands, retailers, designers and NGOs from Barcelona to Berlin. |
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How did the idea to “travel the supply chain” come about? | |
During my last year of college, I took an American consumerism class where I learned a lot about the problems of the clothing supply chain. |
You spent time studying and interning in Germany through the Study and Internship Program (SIP), and interning in Turkey during college. How did both experiences equip you for such a self-structured career path? | ||
I can’t imagine how any of this would have been possible without my experiences in Germany and Turkey. I went to Turkey in 2008 through AIESEC, and because there are a lot of Turks living in Germany, I was able to improve my Turkish to a decent level during my year spent in Berlin through the UAS7-DAAD SIP program.
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I especially appreciated being in classrooms full of people from around the world, since the conversations that emerged in these classes came from various perspectives that really enriched my global understanding.
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What advice do you have for students and recent graduates considering alternatives to the conventional career track? |
Pursue your interests and be proactive and vocal about it. I was proactively looking for an opportunity to live abroad, and that’s how I found AIESEC, which allowed me to go to Turkey. There’s a gap between the theoretical knowledge taught in schools and the actual work, and so few are aware of great opportunities out there. Organizations like the DAAD, UAS7 and AIESEC that allow young people to travel and have life-changing experiences have never been as available to any generation as they are to ours today. Living in a foreign country independently is one of the best things you could do for yourself--professionally and personally. |
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