After the spring break trip (to Boulder and Austin), I find myself back in normal life, with responsibilities, due dates, routine… I also find myself still reflecting on what I lived and learned during the trips. Talking to people and seeing them work in their own environment was a great experience that takes learning to a whole other level from that of the classroom, where the student is restrained by four walls, looking without risk at the outside world. One of the main things I am missing is the weather… it was so warm in Colorado and Texas that it is was a shock to come back to the cold in Michigan (even though it is warmer in Michigan than when we left on March 6th).

Now, even though the spring break trip is done, our adventure is not quite over yet. For this week we have plans of going to Cassopolis, Michigan for an entrepreneurial retreat at the Lowe Foundation.  At the foundation we will get an understanding of a new level of business development that startup companies, a level that we have not very much discussed during this course. It is going to be an interesting day, where I expect more learning and new perspectives await us, something that will hopefully challenge our understanding of startup communities and the companies that take part in them.

And even after this retreat, we still what may be one of the most important parts of the whole course in my opinion. The whole point of the trips to Detroit, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Boulder, and Austin was to search for answers in what makes a startup community thrive (or not) and to try to define those components. Now that we have a much better idea of what those components and factors could be, the group is ready to lead a discussion with the entrepreneurial community of the city of Kalamazoo. Our meeting at Starting Gate for this purpose will be March 27th. With all our travels and with all the people that were awesome at sharing their views and ideas with us (and were open to listen to us also) we can be more confident in what we can say about the subject of what makes a startup community be what Boulder is for example. This would not have been possible without leaving the classroom. In this meeting, I hope we can provide valuable feedback of our journey to the people that attend so that we can build the culture of the start up community of Kalamazoo, that surely has the potential to be great in a future.

Finally, even after what is to come regarding the course, there is still much to discover and to research about what exactly is the recipe for a successful start up community. I feel closer to the answer (even if it’s not close enough) anyways. On a more personal note, my idealistic dreams of building a culture of giving first and of community development and trust in my hometown have greatly been reinforced and built up. This happened after seeing the energy and vibrancy of life in the places we visited. Passion for working and changing the world is a factor that I would love to spread around in my own community, because it was so recurrent from what I could see, essential for greatness.