Congratulations to Monique Chan, Ryan Schott, and Matea Andonova, for winning 2nd, and 3rd place at the recent Ryerson Social xChange (RSX). The former ICON students took part in the event during the last weekend of January, walking away with bragging rights and entrance to the Social Venture Zone at Ryerson University. Monique and Ryan were also awarded $1,000.
The students were all members of the Ideas Congress/Feeding9Billion classroom in the fall of 2016. There they worked with other students to develop solutions to address food insecurity, food waste, and food distribution. Ryan and Monique developed The Bruise Bar, an enterprise to repurpose ugly and bruised fruits into smoothies and other products for sale on campus. When the Ryerson Social xChange arrived, 8 members of the class travelled to Toronto to compete, with Ryan and Monique choosing to use the event as a way to get further support for the Bruise Bar project.
When asked about the experience, Ryan said “After the ICON class, we knew our idea was a possibility. After going to the RSX and winning 2nd place, it’s really pushed us to make Bruise Bar a reality.”
Asked about the ICON classroom, Monique replied “ICON was such an amazing experience and has opened the door for endless opportunities. It has challenged me to be more innovative and analytical when approaching an issue, as well as to be aware of how I communicate with others. I would definitely recommend ICON to others, and actually think it should be required for every student to take.”
The fall 2017 ICON/Feeding9Billion classroom will be accepting students in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more information.
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