LUTES ANSWER: What does it mean to innovate wherever you are?

“To innovate everywhere means to think ahead and find new ways to answer new and old questions. It’s finding new ways to make even the mundane fun. Wherever I am I look for the next step, the step that revolutionizes and transforms where I am and who I am. ”
–Fulton Bryant-Anderson ’23
History Major
General Manager, Lute Air Radio

“It’s about adapting to the ebbs and flows of life. To innovate is to not think outside of the box, but instead create a whole new shape that works for whatever situation you may find yourself in.”
-Cas Hebert ’23
Nursing Major

“To innovate is to bring your sense of style to existence. It could be as simple as a wish, a dream, a vibe, and it can change your environment. I am innovative by my sense of self and style I bring to everywhere I go. When I infuse myself into my environment, the dynamics change and something new is created. It takes form until the wave is gone.”
-Norman Edwards Jr. ’10
Product and Service Quality Manager, Boeing

“Many innovation frameworks suggest that people need to find a problem to be solved, or a gap that needs a bridge. While many try to jump right to the solution, we should identify these problems and gaps first. Frequently, some of the most important problems and gaps are based on human needs … perhaps emotional needs, productivity needs, social needs, health needs, or many others. So, to innovate wherever we are, we should start with human needs that are not fulfilled as well as they could be, and then explore solutions that create value for both the user and the entity that offers it.”
-Kory Brown
Professor, PLU School of Business

“Innovating exactly where you are demonstrates a deep sense of care, responsibility, and pride in your own community. In my experience, taking on projects that inspire a better future, such as the Student Sustainability Committee, would not be sustainable without that communally reciprocated sense of ownership and hope for PLU, Parkland and beyond. I’m constantly energized by my peers, mentors and colleagues who keep this fire for innovation, and for a more environmentally just PLU, alive semester after semester.”
-Kenzie Knapp ’23,
Environmental Studies Major
2022-23 ASPLU President

“Innovation can happen anywhere, anytime, with any process or concept. Regardless of the size of a project or task, being innovative means you’re always looking for efficiencies and creative ways to bring ideas to fruition, or ways to rethink what has been stagnant or has fallen behind modernizations.”
-Ardys Curtis ’86
PLU Chief Information Officer

“Innovators are those who take risks and chances wherever they are. As individuals, we must self-reflect to identify new and creative solutions within any environment. We must be brave enough to push past the confines of our expectations in order to find new solutions to pre-existing systems.”
-David Yun ’22
Chemistry Major
President, Global Medical Brigades Club

Read more articles from our innovation-themed issue of ResoLute Magazine.