Thirty percent of college students drop out of university. Contrary to people’s perception of incompetence, fifty-one percent blame finances. During my summer at RaiseMe - a startup for student success, two interns and I launched Retention. Through the process, I learned to leverage the diversity of thought, iteratively build and remodel projects and taking initiative.

During calls with students at risk of dropping out, I realized the need for RaiseMe’s platform to extend beyond getting students to college - ensuring they stay on track after enrollment. Constraints of human resources within the startup necessitated taking charge of building the extension. I convinced the other two interns and got a green light from our manager to dedicate extra time to the cause.

My team-mates were; an American that attended a prestigious university, a second-generation immigrant that went through community college, and myself - an international student that was part of a revolution in education. The difference in perspectives among the three of us was an edge. Varied frames of reference covered for our blindsides. We advanced in building statistical models that accounted for meaningful variables - even under unfamiliar contexts.

A significant correlation for student success was attributed to factors, like registering for orientation and classes on time and attending community events/meetups. Pilots with Wayne State University revealed unforeseen elements. Models had to be redrawn and tested multiple times. Planning, building, checking, and adjusting metrics revealed insights. I understood the power of continuous iteration and design thinking in making real products. More than the end product of the project, I learned that teams are more than arithmetic sums of their parts but powerhouses that harbor diversity of thought. Plus, I developed the process of repeatedly going back to the drawing board and iterating projects for realistic outcomes. Lessons that I take with me, even after that summer.