Alumni Spotlight – Jacob Brooks

Learn to Start is proud to be working with the next generation of lower, middle, and high school students in reimagining what the 21st-century education system should look like. Hear from one of LTS’s incredible alumni, Jacob Brooks, as he shares how LTS has impacted his personal and professional life since graduating from the program.

Confidence

How has being in Learn To Start impacted your confidence as a person? Prior to being in Learn To Start, I was never really an outgoing kid. Many people knew I was typically quiet and kept to myself. Over the course of three years in the LTS program, I completely changed as a person. Creating I Am videos, public speaking in front of crowds, reaching out to people for mentors, and putting myself in uncomfortable situations are just some of the many things I did while in the LTS program. These not only boosted my self-confidence but completely reshaped me as a person. I can now walk into a room of complete strangers and confidently introduce myself to each and every one of them with no fear. Coming into college, surrounded by tons of people I don’t know, I’m proud to say I have a great group of friends and a great social life which I can thank the LTS program for. Having high self-confidence has been the best thing I could’ve asked for and I’m so happy I turned into the person I am today.

Ability to Network

What was your knowledge of networking before LTS vs after? How has LTS impacted your ability to network? Before joining LTS, my networking ability was very poor. I was never the most outgoing kid so the idea of reaching out to a stranger felt impossible for me. One of the things I was required to do in the LTS program was to get mentors by reaching out to people. I didn’t even know where to start. Through trial and error, I learned how to reach out to people through LinkedIn and by email. I didn’t get many responses at first but the more and more help I got the easier it became. I am currently a Freshman at The Ohio State University and I am a part of the Undergraduate Finance Association. In this club, I have had the opportunity to go to networking events with Ohio State alumni who were successful business owners in the finance/business field. Because of what I learned in LTS, I was able to confidently go up to people and tell them about myself which led to further actions like getting their contact information and business cards. Overall, Being part of LTS has significantly increased my ability to Network and I’m so happy to be in the position I am in now.

Receiving Feedback

How has LTS impacted your ability to receive feedback? What was your experience with feedback prior to the program? Prior to joining the program, I had never really received feedback on anything I had ever done. There might have been some little things but I never had worked any jobs or had an important role where people relied on me at the time. Coming into LTS, I had to present potential products/businesses I was working on and receive feedback from my teacher and classmates. At first, I didn’t know what to do when someone told me I should work on this or work on that. I kept on pitching to the class making the same mistakes over and over again. After receiving the same feedback multiple times, I finally took it into consideration and gave it a try to fix what I was doing wrong. I noticed right away a change in my ability to present and speak to others. Over the course of three years in the program, I consistently got better and better at my presenting skills because I listened to what the others had to say. I never took into account what I looked like from someone else’s perspective, but only from my own. By accepting the feedback given to me, I was able to become a lot more confident in myself when presenting and a better overall person.