Entrepreneurs are the most essential workers on earth. Without them, the world would lack what is necessary to progress in every aspect. Entrepreneurs are the fuel that keep this planet moving in a forward progression. They are the ones responsible for technological enhancements in the world, but more importantly, they are responsible for social enhancements in the world. The amazing thing about entrepreneurship is that it goes beyond simply starting a business and reaping a profit. An entrepreneur can be anyone who has an innovative idea, and puts it into action, profit or not. In my own opinion, the social entrepreneurs who work to reap a profit for others are the ones who use their innovative gifts in the right ways. One example of an entrepreneur who did this would be Scott Harrison. Harrison grew up in Philadelphia, and since his mother had an extremely weak immune system, he spent most of his childhood taking care of her. When Harrison was eighteen, he enrolled in New York University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications there, however he was by no means an A+ student. Throughout college, he lacked the motivation to earn perfect grades, and didn’t particularly care about his education. After college, Harrison went on to be a nightclub promoter in New York City. The next ten years of his life entailed throwing parties for companies like VH1 and MTV. When Harrison was 28, he went on a vacation to Uruguay, and on the trip, he hit a turning point in his life. He realized that his lifestyle was selfish and unhealthy, and felt like he needed to change. When he got back to New York, he quit his job and went on to start volunteering for Mercy Ships, which is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides free healthcare. Through the company, Harrison went on his first mission trip to Liberia in 2004. While he was there, he quickly discovered that almost all of the water in the country was unsafe to drink, and was difficult to obtain. Most people there spent most of their time walking long distances to obtain water that is usually filled with parasites or other harmful chemicals. Through being exposed to these harsh conditions of Liberia, Harrison found his calling. When he returned to the United States, Harrison started raising money to start a charity to help solve the water problem in countries like Liberia. He eventually accumulated $15,000, and on September 7, 2006, Scott Harrison founded charity:water. Ever since then, charity:water has had wild success improving the water quality in many foreign countries, and has grown to be one of Americas most effective charities.
It is through social entrepreneurship that people can make the biggest differences in the world. People like Scott Harrison are responsible to making positive social differences in the world, and through my education in entrepreneurship at Grove City, I plan on integrating social entrepreneurship in my future career.