If you have a desire to create positive social change, this article is for you. Here are things I learned from SIP that you should keep in mind as you continue to learn, fail, and grow.

Mark Hecker is the founder of Reach Inc, a nonprofit that works on alleviating illiteracy in D.C. public schools. During his presentation at the Social Innovation Program, Mark challenged many assumptions made about social entrepreneurship by listing ten myths of social entrepreneurship. The myths that challenged and interested me the most were “Being a Founder is Awesome” and “We’re Innovating, Empowering, Disrupting, and Transforming”.

To support the expulsion of the “Being a Founder is Awesome” myth, Mark quoted Cheryl Dorsey, president of Echoing Green, who said, “There’s been an interesting phenomenon in the last few years where people equate success with being a founder rather than solving a problem.” Mark argued that the only reason you should be a founder is if the organization you want to create to solve a problem does not exist. This challenged my beliefs because I think if there are several organizations doing similar work, but still distinguishing themselves, a larger, more collective impact can be made than if you decide not to start something just because a similar idea is already out there. However, I understand and respect the validity in his point, and agree with it: start an organization because you truly believe it will alleviate a social ill, not just because you want to have the word “founder” on your resume.

The myth, “We’re Innovating, Empowering, Disrupting, and Transforming” was good to hear because it reminded me that these are just “buzz” words, and because of this, they have lost a lot of meaning. Everyone is “innovating”, but are they really? Mark argued that if you’re saying it, you’re probably not doing it. In the book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, the author John Wood instructs readers to “stop talking and start acting.” Basically, stop saying you are empowering people, and get out there are do it. I use these words frequently, but I will be more mindful in the future of when I use them, and what I really mean when I say I am being “transformative” or “innovative.”

-Samantha Dietz is a sophomore at Tulane University majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Spanish and Social Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship.