NUST STUDENTS TAKE NEW YORK!

NUST students Bekimpilo Ndlovu, Sanelisiwe Ntini and Francis Chiwunda  got the opportunity to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

The three, all from Bulawayo’s National University of Science and Technology (N.U.S.T), were part of 200 young people gathered up in New York and got to meet the who’s who of business in the world. Names like Alex Gorsky (CEO, Johnson & Johnson), Ashwini Gupta (Chief Risk Officer, American Express), George Whitesides (CEO, Virgin Galactic), Eric Schurenberg (Editor-in-Chief, Inc Magazine), Mike Perlis (CEO, Forbes) appeared on the mentor panels.

They got the opportunity to meet the founder and chairperson of Kairos Society, Ankur Jain who is considered to be one of the most connected young people in the world! They also met young and passionate student leaders from almost every part of the world as they were representing Nust , Zimbabwe and Africa at large. Talking to  Francis Chiwunda a final year Bcom finance student and Africa regional president for Kairos Society, this is what he had to say:

The passion I saw in the student leaders was so amazing and life redefining. I rubbed shoulders with young people who have dared to challenge the status quo and managed to build their ventures in the most difficult years of recession. These are young people who can schedule meetings with world leaders such as US president Barack Obama and World Bank leaders to discuss global challenges and be able to present a way forward. That was a take home for me!

One of the fascinating concepts of the summit was what we called the $1 Billion Dollar Challenge where I had the opportunity to engage with Harvard University students! Their ideas were almost out of this world! Think of a wrist watch with a mechanism that detects stress levels which can be synchronised by a mobile application to locate, rank and recommend the best doctor within the vicinity!, 

I came to realise that as an entrepreneur you don’t need to invent lightning or something magnificent. All you need is an idea and a great passion, no matter how crazy the next person may think it is. In actual fact, all entrepreneurial activities emanate from “crazy” ideas. Take for instance Aliko Dangote, Africa’s current richest man who has made his wealth from commodities as basic as sugar, cement and flour! It’s not  quantum physics! 

  

Headquarters of Kairos Society Africa are at NUST and there is room for excitable students to join. The application process is opening this April. African students are invited to apply - including those studying abroad. To qualify as a Kairos Society Fellow, one needs to be an entrepreneur and a leader solving a global challenge through innovation. Fellowship is by invitation'.

Quite an interesting thing to look at for all entrepreneurs, I urge to try if you one.