I was drawn to Warren Wilson because of the distinctive nature of its educational program. I embrace the concept of the classroom as a “living laboratory,” that is, an environment that fuels inquisitiveness, critical thinking, experimentation, and the effective application of course material. I encourage students to bring their work, community engagement, other applied learning and educational experiences into the classroom. Their lived-experiences are often the best examples of the theories and concepts we are studying. A growing area of research for me is social entrepreneurship. It is exciting to work with motivated students to better understand the social challenges we are facing; co-creating solutions with the community and students, building resilient business plans around these products and services with the aim of maximizing social impact.