Identifying Local Opportunities

Article 1:

• Restroom is Just One Aspect of Tricky Issue
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CF881053D51278?p=AWNB
• This story talks about the issue that arises for transgender students and what bathroom they should or shouldn't use at school. The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to make a declaration on which bathroom they have to use, or which one would be safer. The choice is up to the person, for where they feel the most comfortable. Another point is that it is hard to tell if this would create issues for other students. Which bathroom is the safest for them to use?
• The issue in this article is the question: which bathroom should a transgender person go to?
• The people who have this problem are those who identify themselves as transgender.

Article 2:

• Intriguing, but Soulless
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CF880FAA824360?p=AWNB
• This article explains the purpose of the play, "If/Then," which runs at the David A. Straz Jr. Center throughout this coming weekend. There is a brief synopsis of the story, and its significance. 
• The problem that arises is that the play "takes on a few big questions and tries to answer them." The problem with this is that a lot of people have disagreements with how these questions are answered, and how they are delivered.
• The people who have this issue are those who decide to attend the play, and have some views on how these questions should be answered. 

Article 3:

• Lightning Lose Bid as Top Sports Team
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CF881084930D10?p=AWNB
• This article is discussing the recent decision by the SportsBusiness Journal that didn't rank the Tampa Bay Lightning as the top professions sports business team of the year. They lost this opportunity to the Golden State Warriors, which as a sports fan, I can tell you that this is a great team to finish behind. 
• The issue from this article is that the Lightning were not able to be named the top professional sports business team of the year, an honor which would bring great pride to the people of Tampa and the organization's front office. They made great strides this year to be in contention, and losing to the Golden State Warriors, who, by the way, set a new record for wins in a single season, doesn't sting too badly.
• This problem lies in the hands of Lightning fans, and the entire organization as a whole. It's not a huge problem to have but it is a situation in which everyone involved with the Lightning would have loved to win this honor.

Article 4:

• Walmart Prepaid Cards Not Working
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CFDCA8C53B33F0?p=AWNB
• This story is explaining the impact of a recent issue with prepaid debit cards across the country. There have been hundreds of complaints that those who have these cards are having a very hard time accessing their money to buy what they need. 
• The problem presented in this story, as obvious as it may seem, is regarding to the fact that a lot of the time, technology ends up biting us in the butt. There have been so many glitches and hacks within this realm and I believe that the security of technology is so unknown that it brings about a lot of issues like this. This specific story is not necessarily security related, but there should be no reason that this many people are having issues getting their money when they need it. The payment process should be seamless at this point, and it leads me to believe that it can only be improved.
• Those that have identified an issue paying with their prepaid cards clearly are experiencing this issue, but also anyone else around these people. It can cause arguments and disagreements, which a lot of people who are just getting their groceries, are trying to avoid all together.

Article 5:

• Roadwork to Slow Commutes on State Roads 836, 826 and 874
• http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15CFA0610E77B858?p=AWNB
• This story is talking about the impact of roadwork around Florida's Turnpike, and how it will affect those trying to commute to and from work this past week and the week upcoming.
• The problem highlighted in this story is the fact that there is always roadwork to be done. It is tough to look forward to a time where there will be less traffic because of all this roadwork, because by the time it finishes, there will be so many more people that another expansion will be needed.
• The people who have to deal with this issue are those who are conducting the construction because they have to work in high volume areas during high volume traffic times. Besides that, it is the people who live in the area of this roadwork. No one is immune from traffic, and it is just the reality at rush hour times.

Forming an Opportunity Belief

1.) My Beginning Point: I have a belief that there is an opportunity existing within the realm of student parking on campus at the University of Florida.

2.) Description of My Belief: I think that this issue could be vastly improved, and as a commuting student myself, it would help me drastically. There is just not enough parking for anyone really on campus, and students: forget about it. I think most importantly, students need this to be met, because there are plenty of places for faculty to park, it just may be a little far. This need came from the very insignificant amount of parking spaces for students on or near campus, and it has probably always existed. As a student, I think the best way to meet this need is to just take the bus. It is too much of a hassle to have to walk over a mile to any building from the closest student parking lot. I would say that I am about 99% sure that this opportunity exists for other students besides me.

3.) Iteration No. 1: I talked with a fellow student. She said that the nature of this need is the very small amount of places to park on campus, and it will stay that way for as long as she can see. She experienced her need for some parking spaces when she first moved off-campus to Social 28. She experiences this need at least once a day. Right now, she said that her way of addressing this need is to ride her bike. During the summer though, can be really tough because of the insane rain. She was very happy to hear my possible solution, which would probably be just adding some kind of parking structure at the center of campus, or at least making the current ones bigger.

4.) Reflection No. 1: After talking with a fellow colleague, it was very apparent that this was an issue. I was already sure of that, but it was good to get some kind of reassurance. It helped me identify the needs of people other than myself, which made it much more revealing how much we really need a solution to this problem. It was very surprising to me to find that at least someone else, who lives way closer than me, has the same kind of issue.

5.) Iteration No. 2: I talked with a fellow faculty member. He said that, as a faculty member, there were very many opportunities for him to park anywhere and everywhere. He kind of seemed surprised that I had this issue, because he said he never really thought about it. His feeling after hearing my story was that it is an issue that can be definitely improved. As a faculty member, he explained to me, that when he was my age, as a student, his school was much smaller, and he lived on campus all of his years until he graduated. This made it obvious to me that he never had this issue of parking.

6.) Reflection No. 2: After talking with a faculty member, I realized that this may just be an issue for students who need to drive to campus. Besides that, it may be perfectly fine for other people because they have so many more lots dedicated for them. This realization brought me to the question, will this ever be fixed if only a small population on campus has this issue?

7.) Iteration No. 3: I talked with my sister, who is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. She told me that her experience with parking was very plentiful. She had many days where she would wake up late, and had no choice but to drive to campus. If this was the case, she would park in the lot near the Reitz Union, and this yielded her many many parking tickets. Her realization of this problem came her 3rd year here, which was her first time living off campus. She believes that this issue has been around since the campus became so big, and she also believes that it will last as long as the campus keeps getting bigger without any renovations to the parking lots.

8.) Reflection No. 3: After talking with a recent graduate, my sister, I realized that this issue has been around for at least the last 6 years, and probably before that. I also realized that when worse comes to worse, the only choice is to park close, but in a bad spot, and end up paying for parking tickets on a regular basis.

9.) Summary: After doing this exercise, I came to a lot of realizations. I learned that it may only be an issue for students, and that as a student myself who has to commute, my best choice is to either suck it up and walk really far, or suck it up and take the bus. All of these things though, do bring up an opportunity to create something great for students on campus.

Bug List

Things that bug me include:

1. The hunger in this world for money.
1. Why?: Because in order to put food on your family's plate, you have to be a hustler.
2. Cold floor on bare feet in the morning.
1. Why?: Because no one is awake and the house actually cools down.
3. Flat soda.
1. Why?: Because I left it in the fridge for too long without drinking it.
4. Inconsiderate drivers on the highway.
1. Why?: Because people are in such a rush, that they think they're the only ones on the road.
5. Misplacing my keys when I'm in a rush.
1. Why?: Because I get home after class and don't think about the next morning by placing my keys in a good spot.
6. Looking forward to the last brownie, only to find that someone else ate it first.
1. Why?: Because that brownie and I weren't meant to be.
7. Someone smelling like B.O.
1. Why?: Because that person was in a rush in the morning and forgot to put on deodorant.
8. Pop-up ads when I am trying to watch something on the internet.
1. Why?: Because people are always trying to sell me something.
9. Being misunderstood in an argument.
1. Why?: Because I didn't think enough before I spoke, and something came out the wrong way.
10. Waiting in line at the Chic-fil-a in the hub.
1. Why?: Because I only ever have time when class periods just ended, so there are always a bunch of people there at the same time.
11. Having a head cold.
1. Why?: Because I didn't drink enough orange juice when the weather changed.
12. Telemarketers when I am busy.
1. Why?: Because someone is always trying to sell me, a poor college student, something.
13. No one else taking out the trash.
1. Why?: Because either no one else has been home, or no one else cares about our apartments cleanliness.
14. Someone lying to me.
1. Why?: Because this person was afraid to disappoint me, or didn't respect me enough to tell me the truth.
15. Having things all over the place in my room, a.k.a. being disorganized.
1. Why?: Because I don't spend the time organizing things as I go, so I have to deal with it all at once.
16. Internet being unbearably slow.
1. Why?: Because my apartment is in Gainesville and I have Cox Communications.
17. Bad customer service from Cox Communications.
1. Why?: Because the company is not built around customer service, and all they care about is the fact that you're paying them.
18. Throwing up.
1. Why?: Because I ate something that someone prepared badly.
19. Stepping in someone's gum.
1. Why?: Because someone didn't care enough to throw it away in a trash can.
20. False advertising.
1. Why?: Because companies will do anything to lure you in, and then break you the bad news once you actually get to their store or website.

Reflection for this exercise:

As for the challenges when coming up with this list, the thing that stood out to me most was the fact that I felt like I was whining the whole time. I don't usually like to just straight up complain about things, and this took that to the next level. I also got the feeling multiple times that I was doing it all wrong because it felt too simplistic. Aside from those two things, it was also tough coming up with things outside of the box, something that no one else would think of, because I personally don't look around all day looking for things to be critiqued. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

My entrepreneurship story is short and simple. It has only been a couple of years, but I still remember it like yesterday. So, one night, I remember my father talking about how good he is at his job, and how it doesn't challenge him enough. The next thing that comes out of his mouth is that he's going to start a new business to challenge himself, alongside of his current job. To this day, he has been working tirelessly to get his business to the point where he can stop being bored with his current job, and finally feel challenged. The reason this story sticks out to me is because it is so inspiring. Instead of doing the bare minimum for his job, he has gone out his way to reach his full potential, and feel fulfilled at the end of the day. I enrolled in ENT 3003, partly because I had to for my minor, but also because I want to reach my full potential, and maybe being an entrepreneur myself will lead me there.

Introduction

Hey there!

My name is Alex Broderick. I am in my first year here at UF and I am a student of the Innovation Academy. I am studying Computer Science Engineering and I am very excited to continue along my journey of tough classes and long nights of studying!