Dreamers-Who-Do Award

The Innovate Carolina Dreamers-Who-Do Award is meant to expand the minds and real-world experiences of our student entrepreneurs. Each year as students engage in activities made possible by the Dreamers-Who-Do award, they are creating waves of positive change within their communities.

Innovate Carolina provides Dreamers-Who-Do funding as financial assistance for specific Innovate Carolina initiatives, partnerships or events. In spring 2022, four UNC-Chapel Hill students attended the Ignite Retreat hosted by the Sullivan Foundation in Staunton, VA (see stories below). In fall 2022, funding will be available to help students attend the Ignite Retreat in Asheville, NC.

I feel very grateful and fortunate for the ability to attend the Fall 2022 Ignite Retreat through the generous funding from Innovate Carolina! Right off the bat as we were driving up to the retreat location, we were greeted by a black bear cub- and I didn’t think the weekend could get any better! Yet, it definitely exceeded my expectations, and in some surprising ways.

While I am not a social entrepreneur in the standard definition of the term, the Ignite Retreat helped me re-imagine what social entrepreneurship and social impact could look like, making it much more digestible and broadscale. Despite being one of the very few graduate students among a majority of undergraduates, it was incredibly inspirational to hear people’s personal and professional journeys, connect over our shared interests and goals relating to humanity and social impact, and be surrounded by astounding nature in Black Mountain, NC. The facilitators, workshops, participants (and hospitality/food!) were all incredible.

I had some invigorating takeaways from various workshops, which helped get my wheels turning and empowered certain ideas I didn’t even know I had deep down! Thank you again for this amazing opportunity and for empowering me to jumpstart future projects, both personal and professional!

Ilana Shtivelman, Master of Social Work Candidate 2023

The Ignite Retreat was a great experience that gave me the opportunity to dedicate undivided time to expand my ideas surrounding social impact. Being able to openly share my thoughts and receive feedback from other students determined to do good in the world was invaluable, as there is rarely time to do so in my academic program. I especially appreciated the coaches’ insights and enthusiasm throughout the weekend.

My favorite part of the retreat was a workshop focused on charting next steps, where participants created a perceptual map and arranged key components of a project or business (vision, budget, etc.) based on importance and clarity. I received a ton of support and direction, and loved hearing about all the amazing work folks are pursuing.

I am very grateful for the funding I received from Innovate Carolina to attend the Ignite Retreat. The Sullivan Foundation is filled with passionate, devoted changemakers who left me filling inspired long after the weekend was over. I will continue to use what I learned during the retreat to flesh out what it means make a difference in my community. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Jacy Eisel, Master of Business Administration Candidate 2024

I am grateful for the Ignite Retreat funding I received from Innovate Carolina. Attending the retreat allowed me the opportunity to meet other students and young professionals passionate about creating social change. We got to collaborate with others with similar interests and ventures to exchange ideas and resources, many of whom live within driving distance.

There were workshops for those who didn’t know their passion yet to those with current projects and ventures. I attended a variety of workshops to brainstorm and network as well as met with other students during meals and breaks.

The Ignite Retreat is a well-run program that is very beneficial to students, particularly undergraduate students who are still in the early process of learning. Thank you for this excellent opportunity.

Rachel Ram, Master of Public Health Candidate 2022

The Ignite retreat was an amazing experience that allowed me to connect with other like-minded individuals who want to change the world through social ventures. I had the opportunity to listen to many people share their passions and how they planned to bring change, as well as share my own story in the work that I want to do. 

My favorite part of the retreat was the Pitch competition, where I was able to create a prototype and present a pitch for my social venture. We had the opportunity to practice developing pitches for different time increments (5 min, 2 mins, 1 min) the day before. Having the experience to work on my pitch gave me the confidence to enter the Gillings Student Research and Entrepreneurship Expo, which happened that next week.