Meet Tia Olynyk

STUDENT PROFILE

Hear from students and professionals as they share how skills and mindsets in innovation and entrepreneurship have helped shape their daily thinking.

Tia Olynyk is a student at Dalhousie University pursuing a Major in Economics, a Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) and a Certificate in Intercultural Communication. 

Why was it important for you to explore concepts in innovation in university?

An E&I education has provided me with the frameworks to practically address issues that I identify in my economics research. In addition, E&I highlights the importance of building “soft skills”, such as teamwork, adaptability and public speaking. As an economics major, so much of my degree was focused on quantitative research and data analysis that I realized I wasn’t honing these skills as much as I wanted to. In trying to overcome real-world problems, people must learn to work in teams, pitch their ideas, adapt to change and be open to feedback. Pursuing E&I at university provided me with a supportive space to fail and grow while developing these skills.

What does innovation mean to you and how does it show up/is relevant in your day-to-day?

Personally, I believe that courage is a big part of innovation. In order to innovate, you often have to step outside your comfort zone and work to understand issues from different points of view. Building courage in your day-to-day life is a good way to become a better innovator.

Also, innovation demands certain skills, which can be incredibly useful! For example, learning not to take criticism personally, although difficult at first, has allowed me to improve in many aspects of my day-to-day. It even has applications to sports. By learning to welcome constructive criticism, I have become more open to feedback from my coach and, as a result, more open to learning what I can do differently to improve and help my teammates improve.

Do you recall any opportunities to explore concepts/practices in innovation or entrepreneurship in university inside or outside the classroom? What value did they offer you?

I am currently a writing intern at SURGE, Dalhousie’s science innovation sandbox. My internship has allowed me to explore different entrepreneurship- and innovation-related events on campus and in the surrounding community, while blogging about my experiences. So far, this has included presentations by local start-ups and students from Dalhousie’s science innovation course, SCIE 4701/02. Because entrepreneurs and innovators come from so many different backgrounds, working with SURGE has given me the chance to meet people that I wouldn’t have otherwise interacted with through my degree program.

Anything else?

I recently wrote a blog detailing my experience with Dalhousie’s Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. If you’re interested in learning how E&I can add value to a university degree, feel free to check it out: https://www.surgeinnovation.ca/blog/dalhousies-minor-in-entrepreneurship-amp-innovation-one-students-experience.