Jacob Schindler

DC International
Class of 2025

Collaborated with business and development experts to improve the infrastructure and marketing strategy of a business in the developing world.

Created a proposal with viable solutions to address my business partner’s most pressing problems.

Received a grant reviewed by leaders in the fields of business and development to implement solutions for my business partner.

Learn more about Jacob here.

Jacob Schindler is excited to be participating in the International Leadership & Business Internship this summer. He is looking forward to learning more about the world of business and having the opportunity to get hands on experience working with business owners. He hopes this program will give him valuable experience to take into the future and continue in the world of business.

As a rising junior at DC International School, Jacob is a dedicated bilingual student athlete who excels both academically and athletically. Jacob is currently playing club soccer at a high level for Arlington Soccer Association along with varsity high school soccer. In school he is an honor role student and the president and founder of DC International’s Finance Club. He is also a member of the Voyager Student Union, a school club working to provide travel abroad opportunities for other students in his school. He was recently selected to and attended a school-based international exchange program in which he had the opportunity to travel to Argentina for three weeks, where he attended school and lived with a host family. Almost all of Jacob’s free time is spent playing soccer, but he prides himself on being a principled, balanced learner who focuses on maintaining very high academic levels while also playing competitive sports.

Jacob is looking forward to diving into the world of business, forming new relationships with the other students at Georgetown this summer and contributing to their business goals. Jacob hopes to build strong relationships with others from around the world and gain valuable lessons and skills that he can take with him into the future. Throughout middle and high school he has maintained a strong interest in business and hopes that this program will give him insight into what a future career in business could look like.

Read more about Jacob’s achievements here.

My Business Consultant Training

Collaborated With A Business In The Developing World

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Our team reviewed the economic, social, political, and environmental factors that impact our partner business to design a launch plan and identify how to bridge the gap between our business partner’s current and desired conditions.

Earned a Development Grant to Enact Solutions

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In order to fund the proposed business, our team composed a detailed plan and pitched our proposal to request seed funding from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee.

Collaborated With Business Development Experts

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After researching the socio-economic conditions facing our business partners, our team worked with the Nigerian development staff to create effective solutions to the challenges our business partner was facing.

Ayuba Saleh

About Ayuba

At only 33 years old, Ayuba is a man with 15 years of welding experience. He began his journey as an apprentice at a shop in the Yelwa community of Bauchi. Although many people believe his disability would hinder his work, Ayuba worked closely with his mentor doing hands-on work to gain welding experience. The eight years he spent working as an apprentice not only provided him with practical welding knowledge but also the knowledge to establish and maintain relationships with his customers.

Though welding can be uncomfortable and physically strenuous, Ayuba is driven by his passion for the creativity that welding allows him to express. He finds great satisfaction in transforming raw materials into an item his customer can use and enjoy.

Ayuba Saleh

Business Goals

While Ayuba loves his family, he wishes to be married and start a family of his own. He wants to work towards financial independence and stability through his welding business. Eventually, he wants to have the means to support this future family and build a home for his loved ones.

In addition to these personal goals, Ayuba hopes to provide job opportunities for people with disabilities. Ayuba believes that money is not the most important measure of success, but rather the positive impact he leaves on his community is what defines success for him. He would like to build meaningful relationships with other disabled individuals and contribute to their independence and a positive outlook for their future.

Ayuba Saleh

Obstacles

Ayuba faces several obstacles in achieving these goals but remains positive and determined. At the moment, financial constraints pose the largest issue. He is unable to purchase the technological equipment necessary to start up his business. In addition to this, he lacks a financial tracking system, which makes it increasingly difficult to make large purchases.

Ayuba believes that obtaining a shop located in a separate market would be the best course of action to facilitate the growth of his business. Though the location he has in mind is far from home, he has a well-established network of support and clientele within the community. Eventually, Ayuba dreams of using his skills to work with government organizations and hospitals to improve infrastructure.

Ayuba Saleh

Home & Family

Ayuba is 33 years old and was born in Plateau State. He grew up in a small apartment with his siblings and parents in Bauchi State. His father is a retired civil servant and his mother works as a cleaner at their local general hospital. Though Ayuba completed primary and secondary school, he was unable to continue his studies due to financial constraints. One day, he hopes that his business success will allow him to return to school and explore other potential passions.

After the completion of secondary school, Ayuba found a passion for metalwork. At first, his parents disapproved of his interest, worried that his disability would leave him vulnerable in this field of work. Ayuba was determined to build himself a productive and independent life, so he pursued this career despite his parents' reservations. He is proud that his income allows him to contribute to his sick father's medical bills and his siblings' school fees.

Ayuba Saleh

Our Partnership

Ayuba grew up watching other disabled people begging on the streets, partly due to a lack of governmental or private support. He hopes that his work with Leadership Initiatives will allow him to remain independent through the use of his skills and talent. Eventually, he hopes to expand his business and hire employees and apprentices. In addition to imparting his knowledge and passion, Ayuba hopes that he can positively impact other disabled individuals in his community by providing them with job training and an opportunity to become financially independent.

Ayuba says that "partnering with Leadership Initiatives and the students is a wonderful opportunity, I am glad to be part of this organization, I had good faith that through this partnership I will be an example for other people with disabilities. This will decrease the number of people begging on the street."

My Grant
Proposal

The advertising team of Ariana Ahuja, Sofia Carillo, Camille Urcia, Annie Jin, Jacob Taylor, and Jacob Schindler, has been working closely with Ayuba Saleh to obtain all the necessary information on his proposed welding business.

By meeting directly with Ayuba to discuss the ins and outs of his business, our team aims to create a comprehensive plan that both encapsulates Ayuba’s vision and propels him towards success.

Together, this driven team is eager to assist Ayuba and bring his goals into fruition through strategic branding. This will raise his business to the next level while keeping in touch with the roots of the business.

My Grant Proposal
Presentation

Leadership Initiatives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating future leaders across the globe through experiential learning. In the International Leadership and Business Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to build my partners business and brand.

At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to a panel of esteemed judges from the Leadership Initiatives Nigerian Development Team and the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.

At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner. Over the next year, our business partner’s venture will be made into reality and monitored for sustained success and growth.

Internship Highlights

Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Ayuba Saleh , and Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.

We learned more about their life, family, and desires for the proposed business venture, as well as the challenges they were facing. By discussing first-hand the challenges our partner faced, our team successfully and efficiently began to brainstorm solutions to launch her business.

Each morning we held constructive discussions about our ideas, the advice we received the day before, and the timeline necessary to begin implementing our ideas in real-time.

The on-staff project coordinators and business development experts helped facilitate the ideation process and ensured our team asked the right questions to produce tangible results.

I had the unique opportunity to visit the Swedish Embassy, where I learned about diplomatic relations between Sweden and the United States.

While touring the embassy, I learned about the wide range of policy issues and gained a better understanding of the embassy’s role in international development through sustainable and inclusive initiatives.

The embassy serves as a hub for collaboration with partner countries and international organizations, which facilitates the creation of solutions to address global issues, such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change.

Swedish diplomats and officials work closely with local communities to identify needs and design programs that empower individuals and enhance overall societal well-being. This community-centered problem-solving is something my team and I aspired towards while crafting our business proposal.

I also visited the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which plays a crucial role in promoting financial stability throughout the world, facilitating trade, and providing financial support to member countries during economic hardship.

For over 50 years, the IMF has provided capacity development programs that drive effective economic management and policy implementation through technical assistance and training.

The IMF’s research-driven policymaking and dedication to sustainable economic management has established it as a key power in addressing global economic issues.

My visit to the IMF was not only educational, but inspiring. It allowed me to see the institution’s pivotal role in advancing international development and how I can implement their ideals into my own work.

Our team met with leading experts in the fields of business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the State Department, and GlobalGiving.

One such expert was Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Program. She provided us with a crash course in advertising and marketing, in which we learned essential components of an effective marketing campaign.

Our work with Ms. Brooks was essential in preparing us for our culminating pitch deck presentation. With her and other expert guidance, we streamlined our initial ideas to further our efforts in launching the venture our business partner envisioned.

By the end of the week, we had incorporated the advice of leading experts from across the globe for our business proposal to empower and transform the life of our business partner.