By Emily Christensen

Collins Kalyebi is only a sophomore, but he’s already started a primary school in Uganda and secured $10,000 for a four-classroom expansion that will continue to extend quality education to those in rural communities. On Wartburg’s Research, Internship & Creative Endeavor (RICE) Day, he received an additional $2,500 to develop a Heritage Kit-Pad that will provide a more robust curriculum to students in those classrooms as part of the college’s first Wicked Problems Challenge.

The challenge, which is expected to become an annual RICE Day event, was used to raise awareness of and interest in the new Wartburg Incubator, a social entrepreneurship program designed to allow students to tackle problems through interdisciplinary and innovative approaches.

“We already assist our students with their entrepreneurial endeavors. Whether it’s with time, money, or talent, we help nurture them through the process,” said Kristin Teig Torres, director of community engagement. “This pilot program is just formalizing that incubation period.”

In its first year, the poster challenge generated more than 65 ideas. The top five contenders, selected by the Wartburg community and Wicked Problems committee, presented their plans at a World Café during Culture Week. The refined plans were then pitched to the Wicked Problems Challenge panel on RICE Day. In addition to Kalyebi’s prize, the panel also awarded $1,000 to Madison Bloker ’19 (see page 32) for Bound Blessings. Another $250 was awarded to Ashley Reynolds ’18 to pilot her BioBucks program encouraging recycling. The money was provided through a donation from American Family Insurance.

Among the judges was Danny Laudick, co-founder of Mill Race Center for Entrepreneurship. The college has partnered with Mill Race, a community workspace in downtown Cedar Falls that supports area entrepreneurs. The early commitment to the workspace gives Wartburg a seat on the Governance Committee and access to office and meeting space in the building.

“When looking at the Cedar Valley, we saw that many of our strongest organizations and businesses were all rallying behind and becoming a part of Mill Race,” Teig Torres said. “This will put us at the table with these leaders and will give our students the opportunity to network with experts in the area.”