Three impactful journeys to inspire your own
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
At Impact Day, Nova SBE will gather its entire community to discuss and celebrate social and environmental impact. More than 40 impact-driven organizations will participate and will also be several talks on these topics.
On the “Engaging with impact at Nova SBE” talk, we will challenge both students and alumni to share their impactful experiences.
Janine, Tiago, and Vera are three of the five speakers, and here is a sneak peek of their great journeys so far.
Janine, President of Nova Social Consulting
“When I quit my job as an in-house brand consultant before starting my Master’s at Nova SBE, I was certain I would love to find a ‘part-time job’ that drives me equally. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to engage more socially. With the Nova Social Consulting Club, I found an impactful way to combine both — and grow personally.
For nearly a decade, Nova Social Consulting has worked with dozens of NGOs, social enterprises, and nonprofits across Portugal that make a difference in their environment and works incredibly hard to achieve their social innovation goals. When I started my role as NSC Team Leader for the NGO ‘CDI Portugal’ in September 2018, I had no clue how valuable our Management, Finance, and Economics background, and dedication could be for our clients’ business success. Thrilled by the visible progress, we achieved as a team and equipped with the necessary skillset from our mentorship with Deloitte. I was willing to go a step further and apply for the role of NSC Project Coordinator for the Spring 2019 semester. The latter allowed me to leverage the performance of each individual team through close feedback loops and to ensure the delivery of high-quality consulting, which we committed to. When I projected myself with NSC in the future, I always thought of myself as someone passionate to embrace change for the club and its projects. It is thus incredibly rewarding to be leading the club now that we are at the 2019 Fall Semester — with special focus on making the club grow and enhance its direct impact in Portugal.”
Tiago, winner of the Nova SBE Gap Year Scholarship 2018
“I always had in my mind that one day I would be a key-changemaker in this world. This is quite an ambitious milestone; thus, I had to take my baby steps during my degree at Nova SBE. I volunteered for a 4-weeks project with a Portuguese gypsy community during the summer. Also, in a three-hours-a-week volunteering initiative as a kindergarten vigilant and a Math tutor for kids. All of this allowed me to be more ambitious about the next steps in this long road of having an impact.
Last year, I was awarded the Nova SBE Gap Year Scholarship and, during seven months, I lived in Asia with a goal of trying to understand the impact of business decisions on both the social structures and the environment of the communities that I visited: I joined the UN-recognized biggest beach cleanup in the world in India, volunteered in a vegan farm in Nepal, visited two clothing factories in Bangladesh and understood the impact of tourism on local businesses in Sri Lanka and in Southeast Asia. These months allowed me not only to re-consider what do I want to do in life professionally but also to think about who do I want to be and my purpose in life. I might haven’t had the impact yet I wish to have, but I am sure that I am a step closer to achieving that goal.”
Vera, a Master’s student, is writing her thesis about strategic options for a Social Leapfrog organization.
“Throughout my academic journey, I have always had the honor and pleasure to get involved in academic and other social initiatives. Playing active roles in both an international NGO (CISV) that promotes peace education, and in academic events such as managing the Social Impact of the Nova SBE Student’s Union, leading the Nova Surf Club or working at Nova Social Consulting helped me realize that I feel happiest and most committed to my work and when it serves a bigger purpose.
This is why when the time came to decide the topic of my thesis, I decided to join the Social Leapfrog Program, a program that contributes to the development of social organizations in Portugal. In my case, I opted for the Alzheimer’s Association of Portugal, an organization that is committed to helping people with dementia and its caregivers. My contribution lies in conducting research and several analyses that help find key bottlenecks to their development and to develop strategic options that help improve the organizational and financial areas of the Association. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey exploring these different realities and seek creative solutions, adapting business tools to the social sector, and above all, having the opportunity to develop research that has a true impact!”
These testimonies exemplify how our students can pursue an impactful journey in several different ways at our school. Through student clubs, volunteering activities, or by developing their Master’s thesis on impact, they can choose how to impact others, finding their purposes along the way, and maximize their potential.
Janine Grupp is a Nova SBE student who is currently working as a part-time Business Developer for the NGO ‘CDI Portugal’, whom she met through her role as Team Leader for NSC. Tiago Franco is launching a French startup — Ignition Program — in Portugal, where he is revolutionizing the way startups are facing human issues. And Vera Cunha Filipe is completing the Master’s in Management at Nova SBE, where she also completed her bachelor’s degree in Management.
