About – Macalester Entrepreneurship

A RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS MADE BY STUDENTS.

OUR STORY

In the Dewitt Wallace Library Classroom 250, Raise a Hand was born in the Fall of 2017. Bruno Stojčić ’21, Lilian Vo ’18, Malvika Shankar ’19, and Tara Kaushik ’18 first began to explore what a resource for students with big ideas might look like.

Under the mentorship of Sedric McClure (Assistant Dean for Access, Retention, and Success) and Kate Ryan Reiling ’00 (Entrepreneur in Residence), Lilian continued to develop Raise a Hand specifically curated for Macalester College students.

Pictured from left to right: Sedric McClure, Lilian Vo, and Kate Ryan Reiling.

BECAUSE WE ARE

NOT ALONE.

Raise a Hand platform was established to help Macalester students unpack the hidden curriculum at Macalester. The academic culture at Macalester calls upon students from all backgrounds to unite their personal, academic, and vocational aspirations into a seamless pursuit of excellence. Students at Macalester are given wide latitude in charting their educational course of action, however, that latitude comes with many unspoken expectations and responsibilities. These unspoken expectations are what we call the hidden curriculum, and the Raise a Hand platform is populated with information and student narratives whom have unpacked many of its key lessons.

This was designed for all Macalester students, yet it was conceived with the experiences of students of color and first generation college students in mind. As an equity measure, Raise a Hand encourages students to create administrative and academic networks that will help them secure undergraduate fellowships, gain professional work experience, and bring their social entrepreneurial ideals from conception to fruition. As a student to student communication platform, the content, examples, and role models are created by and for students. The format, design, and layout of Raise a Hand will prioritize student needs and aspirations, even as it seeks to encompass the rich, complex, and diverse needs of its users and developers.