Trevon Gordon ’17 was selected to receive an Enrichment Grant from the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. The grant contributed to his work with Saha Global, a non-profit that empowers women in rural communities to solve their village’s need for clean water and electricity by providing business opportunities. Although Trey ultimately did not raise the full amount of money he needed to travel to Ghana with the Saha delegation, he learned valuable lessons and practical skills through this experience. You can read Trevon’s story below, and visit the PCSE website to learn more about our grant programs.

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Being accepted as a member of the SAHA Global fellowship was one of the most significant events of my college career. Coming from a city like my hometown, Poughkeepsie, and being somewhat poor I haven’t had much professional work experience. Furthermore, I didn’t think I would ever get any opportunity to do something so significant and impactful while still in college. Getting accepted to SAHA Global changed my entire view of what I was capable of. When I was chosen to be a fellow, I remember thinking that this was my chance to take the next step in my life. Not only did the experience change how I viewed myself, but it also changed how I viewed the world. As a learned more about SAHA, their mission, and how they accomplish their goals, I realized that the world is a place filled with people who have problems that they can’t solve on their own. Furthermore, I began to see that individuals just like me can have a major impact on the world if we are dedicated enough to the change that we want to make.

Throughout my time with SAHA, I developed all of the skills necessary to become the spark of change that I wanted to make in society. By fundraising for SAHA, I developed a charisma that I never knew I had. I learned how to network and make connections with people as well as how to manage my time between my internship and my schoolwork. I also faced a great deal of obstacles to overcome during my internship. A few of these obstacles include making my travel accommodations, learning how to pitch an idea and sell myself, and managing finances. One of the most significant hurtles I faced was to raise the money necessary to go on the trip which ultimately prevented me from going to Ghana to complete my fellowship. However all of these setbacks have taught me the most important part about being an entrepreneur, which is to be versatile and to be able to recover from unexpected difficulties that are set before you.

For these reasons I believe my SAHA Global internship was one of the best experiences I could have to prepare for my own entrepreneurial pursuits. The fellowship has given me the confidence to tackle problems no one else has tried to solve and to believe that I have to ability to do anything I put my mind to. In addition I have gained a tremendous number of skills from this fellowship that will help me in life as well as my future career. Lastly, my experience in the SAHA Global fellowship has been very unique and has shaped my mindset in such a way that will prepare me for a successful future in social entrepreneurship.