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revisit RISK AND REWARD

What happened to Georgina? Georgina learned that her coursework related and 30%
university offered a tutoring and mentoring program college-life related). Next,
called Bridge, geared to students from disadvantaged describe your current situ-
backgrounds as well as first-generation students. Many ation—how much of your
of the mentors were third- or fourth-year undergradu- focus is on your studies, and how much
ates. “It was all about time management and figuring is on nonacademic pursuits? Finally, if your balance does
out when I could take the time out of my schedule to do not match your ideal, identify at least one resource that
fun things,” Georgina says. With help from Bridge and can help you adjust, and describe how you plan to risk
hard work, Georgina was taken off academic probation using that resource in order to achieve the reward of
and thrived in her last two years, graduating with honors better balance.
from the management science program. She moved on
What risk may bring reward beyond your world? Georgina
to the Master of Public Policy program at Georgetown is an inspiration to students, especially college women, in
University. She now works as a research and policy ana- math and science. Women are underrepresented in sci-
lyst at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, iden-
ence, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields,
tifying trends in the adoption of renewable energy and
and currently hold only 27% of all computer science jobs.
energy efficiency technologies.
Pursuing a STEM-related career can bring satisfaction
What does this mean for you? On her path from struggling beyond good earnings, and Georgina has traveled the
student to part-time master’s-level instructor, Georgina globe making a difference. She worked with Engineers
learned a lot about what it takes to succeed academically Without Borders—a University of North Carolina–Cha-
while making the most of college life. “Get to know your pel Hill project—installing solar photovoltaic systems in
professors,” she advises students, especially those who low-income households in rural Mexico, and has joined
know they need to engage more in their coursework. “If forces with local leaders in Honduras to improve access
they generally feel you are interested, they will put in the to clean water. Whether you’re male or female, you may
extra effort.” find a STEM field career that both interests you and can
Think about your mix of work and play at college. First, change the world. Check out www.womeninscience.
describe what you perceive as an ideal balance of how you org and/or www.stemcareer.com to find out more about
want to spend your time, using percentages (e.g., 70% what’s possible.

GLOBAL RI SK AND REWARD Hepatitis B infects millions of Indian citizens and kills over 100,000

per year. In the 1980s, the vaccine was unaffordable, costing 23
times more than most Indian families earned in a day. Dr. K.I.
Varaprasad Reddy was compelled to risk solving this problem
despite having no funding or biotech experience. He founded
Shantha which, after years of fundraising and research, devel-
oped a vaccine that cost one U.S. dollar per dose and has pro-
tected millions of Indian citizens from the disease. Bought by a
major pharmaceutical company for hundreds of millions of dol-
lars, Shantha continues to bring reward to the average citizen in
the form of medical innovations. 10

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