Thoughts and Plans
May 1 by Lily Chan
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I started off in this fellowship by grappling– well, actually, I still am grappling – with the concepts of illness and mentoring: what are the implications of uniting people, both patients and caregivers, based on a common experience of illness? At what point, if ever, does an illness become an identity, and if it does, how does that affect the future connections I might forge? As an able-bodied person, might I always be an outsider? How does the language we use affect perception of self, of diagnosis? I have been reading literature, interviewing, and reflecting.

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iTeachCommunity and the Starr Fellowship
May 1 by Isabel Khoo
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In the summer of 2010 I volunteered with SHCC, a school in the Kro Bei Real community in Seam Reap, Cambodia. Everyday as I road into school, the kids in the local market place would shout “barang” which means “foreigner” in Khmer. However, one month into my visit, the local teachers came up to me and said, “You are not a “ barang” you are Khmer”. From then on I saw this community as my community. When it came time to say goodbye, I was struck by how distance and time would prevent me from continuing to help those I had come to consider my family.

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iFlip4's start of the Starr Fellowship
May 1 by David Ellmann
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Over the next few months, my life will become iFlip4. I am excited, relieved, but also nervous. I am excited because I believe that iFlip4 has the potential to transform the way an entire generation thinks. I am relieved because this summer--and however long I take time off after that--will only be for iFlip4, not the plethora of other commitments I’ve got during the school year. I am nervous because of the unknown. iFlip4 is something completely new, and I am a new entrepreneur; I never thought about entrepreneurship before this year, and now I am plowing forward into its depths. I am nervous that I lack the hard and soft skills that will be necessary for starting, and then running a successful social enterprise. Starting a business brings a lot of questions with it. It is hard, and can feel out of control, but I believe that greatness lies on the path of such struggle. 

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A boy named Andy, Roberto Clemente, CCC & me.
May 1 by Sidney Kushner
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Bringing Back the Flava
Apr 30 by Pierre Arreola
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Bass pulsing through the gym floor, the crowd cheered wildly as we were clumsily jostled towards the front of the community center. The rambunctious audience of Hip Hop dancers and fans surged forward to get a better look at the dance floor. The crowd had been cheering and dancing for more than four hours, but this was the indisputable height of excitement as the deafening yells became backup music for the most popular dancers of the day, a group of about 20 kids under age 8.

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MED International: Progress thus far and thoughts on Starr
Apr 30 by Jayson Marwaha
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In recent weeks, as I’ve told my friends, “sorry, I can’t go to dinner with you guys, I’m going to a professor’s house” or, “see you later, I’m getting lunch with a student social innovator,” or “see you never, I’m going on a decade-long retreat downtown,” I’ve realized how awesome the Starr Fellowship is – especially for a nascent enterprise like MED International and a rookie entrepreneur like myself. And not even for the money. 

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Friends and Cash, 1st Blog Post
Apr 30 by Hans Chia
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It's often tough to describe to friends and family why we put so much time into our enterprises. Jayson and I are often on the receiving end of "Why didn't we see you at the bar last night?" or "Where are you running off to again?" And it sucks having to continuously explain. Being part of the Starr Fellowship is great because it's members intuitively know the kinds of crazed-obsessive-intense-ridiculous efforts that go into making social enterprises work. 

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Things I Scrawled on the Back of a Receipt
Apr 30 by Nihaal Mehta
Categories: Heathcare & Access — 0 Comments On a recent drive to New Hampshire, somewhere between the steel skyline of Boston and the rolling green hills of western Massachusetts, my mind drifted to India. I wondered, what is it I want to accomplish from this project and from the Starr fellowship? As answers came to me, I wrote them on the only piece of paper I had. So, here are some things I scrawled the back of a CVS receipt... More

Revitalizing A City
Apr 30 by Tim Natividad
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Over the past year, a small group of  South Providence residents have come together to breathe new life into the beautiful temple at 688 Broad Street.  Located on a major thoroughfare, this building has the opportunity to resume its role as a central piece of the neighborhood’s landscape.

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Let's be well "Red"
Apr 30 by Rajvi Mehta
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 When Rajvi first told me about the idea she had had for a venture, I was astonished. She had spent the summer of 2011 treating anaemia patients and came up with a great solution. It was incredibly inspiring and I understood her drive to fight for the cause. I caught on that drive too and joined her in what has been and I'm certain will continue to be an incredible adventure.

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