Solving Problems That Don’t Yet Exist LIVE!

What can we learn from young innovators?

“I think it’s a big advantage because I’m very naïve…I don’t let the limitations of reality and experience get me down”

Who do you think said this? Was it a young Steve Jobs when he was inventing the Macintosh or maybe it was Elon Musk when he said he wanted to commercialize space travel? … Actually, the person who said this isn’t famous, at least not yet.  

This quote is from Efrain Torres - a young alumnus of Marquette University. When I was working at Cree, we were often told that what we were trying to do was impossible. But it only motivated us more. And like Efrain, we used the fact that we didn’t know what wasn’t possible to our advantage. 

On today’s episode, we sit down with Efrain, who is working on an accessible MRI machine, Paula Van Camp, a current student at Marquette University working on a recycling makerspace, and Nadiyah Johnson, a Marquette graduate who founded the software company Jet Constellations and is working to brand Milwaukee as the most diverse tech hub in the country. 

We discuss why they are able to take risks at such a young age, how they view failure, and even how they would go about changing the higher ed business model.

As Albert Einstein said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” 

These young innovators have embraced this idea and the Jesuits call to action to “go forth and set the world on fire”.  

Please check out the episode in the above link. If you have an opinion on these topics, please feel free to email us through the contact page. The best ideas often stem from the intersection of different points of view. The episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!