Have you ever wished your morning alarm could be replaced by a shower of confetti raining down on you? Do you dream of a robot that can prepare your meals while you kick back and relax? What if you never had to worry about a sudden downpour ruining your outdoor plans? Do you want to replace some of your phone scrolling with physical activity?
At Migros Aid Academy, students aren’t complaining about problems—they’re designing solutions to solve them!
In March, Migros Aid Academy students held a Shark Tank-like presentation to share their innovative ideas before a panel of experts. But the presentation night culminated two months of thinking and learning.
Beginning in January, students began a study of innovative leaders, whom we defined as people who “see a problem and find a solution.” We investigated well-known innovators like Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers. We also learned about lesser-known ones, such as Isatou Ceesay, who found a use for the plastic bags littering her Gambian village, and al-Zahrawi, who invented the tonsillectomy.
Each week, the students repeated the definition of an innovative leader and talked about ways they had recently solved problems in their own lives.
After learning about many innovative leaders, students set out to create their own products. They decided what problem they wanted to solve, and they proposed a solution. Some problems on their minds were rained-out recesses, new immigrants struggling to connect to their communities’ resources, their moms spending so much time in the kitchen, and not being able to draw as well as they’d like to.
Once they identified the problem they wanted to solve, they created a product idea to solve it. With creativity and determination, they sketched out solutions, designed posters, and rehearsed their pitches until they were ready to face the expert panel.
Finally, on March 18, they presented their ideas to experts and answered the experts’ questions like they were seasoned entrepreneurs. We celebrated their courage with applause, cookies, and ribbons for everyone!
I was tremendously encouraged by the students’ ideas, efforts, and enthusiasm. Their problem-solving skills have undoubtedly been shaped by watching their parents navigate challenge after challenge—first in refugee camps and then as they built new lives in the United States.
My heart was whole as I thought of all they would contribute to their communities and the world in the decades ahead. I have no doubt that these students will find solutions to problems in their lives and in the lives of others. As I am so often, I was reminded that immigrants make this nation great!
-By Angie Wiggins, Migros Aid Director
