Using your powers for good

In the age of Wall Street skyscrapers and the fierce pursuit of wealth, we often forget that the skills we acquire in school can be used to enrich society. Social entrepreneurship is a new way of conducting business that does not grow at the expense of destroying competitors but by improving lives of needy people around the world. \nSeems impossible, doesn't it? Cut-throat competition has painted a picture of success that is based on greed alone. However, what if one channels that competitive spirit into innovation? \nAll around Africa visionary entrepreneurs are creating a movement that is an uncompromised union between philanthropy and capitalism. The cliché solution of giving a man a fishing rod instead of fish has allowed for economic and societal growth within nations where social entrepreneurship has taken root. \nRwanda is an impoverished African nation that has been suffering economic stagnation since the 1994 genocide that took nearly 800,000 lives. Consequently, infrastructure giants will not step into the country but gourmet coffee importers have. They took a chance on realizing Rwanda's premium coffee producing potential. In response to this demand, the government of Rwanda is planning to triple its production capability. As a result, the country is experiencing the benefits of businesses that enrich society. \nSuccess is not limited to a single country. South Africa has seen the success of a bakery that is helping impoverished women of townships near Cape Town live in humane conditions. Alicia Polak, the founder of Khayelitsha Cookie Co., saw an opportunity to enter communities that desperately needed financial relief and hired women to help her bake cookies for her small business. Armed with good intentions, she soon won contracts from local companies, recipes from famous chefs and is now looking to expand beyond the South African market. \nAlicia Polak was not a humanitarian her entire life. She is an MBA-wielding fund manager who used her business prowess to create a profitable enterprise by helping people make a living. \nAt IU we have one of the finest business institutions in the United States. With such great power comes a responsibility to take advantage of every opportunity. Don't hand out fish to those who need the opportunity to learn how to use a rod. We should use our education to guide capitalism toward the advancement of communities worldwide.