The following article was written by BVR alumna and University of Michigan sophomore Riley Nelson ’14.
The morning following the first big snow this winter in Ann Arbor, four students from the University of Michigan sit huddled around an intercom speaker. It’s only 10 a.m.– early for undergraduates – but each one of them has a spark of curiosity and awe in his or her eyes as Saba Ghole, NuVu’s Chief Creative Officer, talks to them about the history of NuVu, how it launched with founding partner Beaver Country Day School, and how the studio uses the power of design thinking.
NuVu is on the cutting edge … [NuVu] students sometimes exceed the capabilities of graduate students in terms of how they approach problem solving. We are shifting the expectations of a great student.
These four Wolverines – all interested in education technology – are part of an inaugural group of 20 students within Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship tasked with becoming mentors for future classmates. And me? As a Beaver alumna who spent a term at NuVu, I was excited to have the opportunity re-live the magic that happens at the studio and enthusiastically said yes when Eric Bacyinski from the Center asked if I wanted to be on the call.
When the call is over, the UMich students are amazed at what they just heard.
“Saba and her team have gone against the machine of education,” said Dania Abdulhamid, a sophomore who is thrilled and inspired by NuVu.
Bryant Vergara, a sophomore from the Bay Area, is also left stunned.
“Man, I wish I could have gone to NuVu,” he said.
While I haven’t been to NuVu since March 2013, what I learned there has stayed with me through the years. I feel I have a leg up on most of my classmates because I was treated like a capable adult at an age where few are even given a second glance by those in the “real world.” NuVu gave me the confidence to be my own person and tackle whatever comes my way.