Master in Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MSc)
Meet our students: Jo Bautista, Class of 2021
We interviewed Jo Bautista, a MSc in Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation student, about her #SendtoGive project, which she started as a response to the COVID-19 crisis. She speaks about using art to fundraise support for impoverished Filipino citizens, the inspiration for her project, and the ability of business to create much-needed change in the world.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Jo Bautista from MSEI class 2021. I am a Filipina citizen currently living in Berlin.
Could you describe your project trajectory up to the point where you are now?
The idea began during the last week of March 2020 and launched in the first week of May. In the time in between, I went from being really apprehensive about showing my work to other people, to slowly shedding the fear of failure and simply just going for it. Support from friends and family really continue to keep me going. A lot of chance opportunities and timely luck has helped me greatly along the way as well. After the first week of launching the project, I’m happy to share that we had a total of 21 orders sent to 11 different countries. I look forward to seeing how far I can take the project and the positive impact we can all create.
What inspired you to start your #SendtoGive project?
What inspired me to start #SendtoGive is the experience of living away from my home country during this difficult time. As you know, I’m a Filipina citizen living and quarantined in Germany — this situation gave me the unique opportunity to view the impact of the pandemic across 2 very different lenses. The first lens through which I saw was outside my window in Germany. Clean roads, happy, well-dressed people, social support like Kurzarbeit. Through my second lens, I saw the Philippines news and contacts with my Filipino family and friends. Hardship, hunger, no social support, no means for survival. It was difficult, watching that, and feeling helpless. But then, as I continued to keep the pulse of what was going on in the Philippines, I recognized a bright, silver lining. In the midst of all the hardship and struggle, the Filipino’s spirit and character shined through. Part of what makes us Filipino is our willingness to help one another and that’s exactly what people were doing. I was inspired! I realized that the only way to overcome the impact of the coronavirus is to fight it. To rise to the challenge and contribute what I could to be part of the solution. I reviewed my assets and realized I had time, paintings, and the lessons from our MSEI program to work with. By focusing on this project and focusing on the small bit of positive change we can affect, I believe we can work together to build a better tomorrow.
Why did you choose art as the means with which to raise funds?
I chose art to be the center of this project because of its ability to cross cultural barriers and speak to the emotions. I am also deeply passionate about art and I use this passion as my fuel to keep striving.
What are the goals for the project?
I have 3 goals for the project which can be condensed into 3 Cs.
Community: What’s fascinating about the corona virus is the global aspect of its impact. Some may feel the impact worse than others but everyone has their own share of challenges. Given this, I believe that the key to getting through this crisis is by doing it together as well.
Creativity: I want to highlight the value of creativity and how, through a positive mindset and a creative approach, we can create new solutions that actually make a difference in the world we live in.
Compassion: The coronavirus is a global pandemic but some people feel the impact worse than others. It’s important for those who find themselves in a fortunate situation to open up their hearts and help those who need it. On a personal level, I believe that every individual's actions matter. I strive to contribute positively to society by rethinking how I live and make choices.
What made you want to study a degree at the intersection of sustainability and entrepreneurship?
Social sustainability! Coming from the Philippines, I have a deep understanding of the realities that come from social inequality and want to do what I can to create solutions for it. Business sustainability also greatly interests me as the right business framework can allow ideas to continuously grow, evolve, and create an impact.
How has the MSEI programme and/or your professional/academic background prepared you for this project?
Perhaps the most striking learning I took from this program is that we can use business to solve some of the world’s issues. We don’t need to go into politics, or become NGO workers, or sell all our belongings to feed the hungry. Instead, we can use our talents, create products and services, and channel the strength of a market to help us affect the positive change in the world we each want to see. From a more practical standpoint, I found myself applying my classroom learnings in real life. Accounting, pivoting, positioning, releasing an MVP are all concepts which I applied in my journey so far. It’s funny because when you’re in class, you don’t necessarily feel like you’ve learned something you can apply in real life. It all feels theoretical. But when the time comes that you actually want to create something, you find that you have a lot of valuable tools already in your toolbox.
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