I am currently an HBA2 at the Ivey Business School, and I am interested in pursuing a career in social innovation, particularly in the food technology industry. I have always been a big foodie and environmentalist, and somewhere along the way, both of those interests intertwined and turned into a passion for sustainable agriculture. The way we currently eat requires large amounts of energy, water and land. I am interested in developing more sustainable agricultural strategies in order to provide a better, more nutritious future for our global community.
Additional Information
Personal Definition of Sustainability
For me, sustainability is the idea of meeting particular socio-economical goals without compromising our natural global ecosystem. These goals can be political, corporate or personal in nature, but the idea of sustainability is the ability to meet these goals without exploiting the earth’s natural resources. This definition of sustainability also encompasses a long-term view of the global community as well as the Earth. Sustainability is not a short-term action item; in fact, I believe if our perspective is too short-term focused, we will not be able to better react to social and environmental changes.
Sustainability-in-Action
My interest in sustainable food production strategies will undoubtedly play its role in my career. I am also entrepreneurial-minded, which is why I am always open to engaging with emerging business problems and discovering sustainable solutions. As such, my passion for sustainable agriculture and my entrepreneurial mindset have intertwined, and in the future, I definitely plan on starting my own social enterprise. However, I also recognize that I am not yet ready to become an entrepreneur yet, because I still have a lot more to learn. Before becoming a social entrepreneur, I want to learn from passionate business leaders to gain a better understanding of how to build a successful new venture. I also know that my passion is strong, but I need time to gather as much information about food sustainability as I can to develop a strong business solution for my business venture.
In the summer of 2015, I went to Tanzania to teach case-based business for a month. The goal of the excursion was to develop the decision-making skills of business students at St. Augustine University. While there, I also co-wrote a business case on a Tanzanian low-cost carrier. The case will be added to the growing library of African business cases. Having African cases is important, because students in Africa will be able to learn from organizations that they are more familiar with, and it will allow the rest of the global community to learn about businesses in Africa.
I also created a fashion editorial that discussed sustainable fashion, because I recognized that the way in which we disposed and donated clothing was not sustainable. Instead, I wanted to promote an upcycling culture, in which we would alter used materials to create on-trend pieces. The editorial was my way of describing a feasible and sustainable alternative to our current lifestyle. I gathered a group of models, photographers and clothing designers who were as interested in the sustainability message as I was. EnviroWestern, a club at my university, generously donated the clothes and the final products were sold or donated to charity.
Cheryl Mok
