Early in the term, seven bright business students undertook the Deakin University Illuminate challenge, which allowed us to experience a week in the life of a university business student. Our challenge was to create a sustainable product that would solve an environmental problem and also make a profit. The experience opened our minds up to the endless possibilities when it comes to future career pathways in commerce.The intense and busy week started with a day dedicated to lectures, including, business planning, marketing and accounting. Throughout the week we had many miniature challenges such as elevator pitches, creating marketing material and submitting real finance projections. All our ideas were based on solving an environmental problem whilst being socially responsible and completely sustainable. McKinnon students created an edible cricket company to solve global food shortages and environmental concerns. Others designed dissolvable plastic products and a business model to recycle building materials both to combat environmental degradation.
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As the week progressed our ideas became a reality but not without many challenges along the way. We had to work together to ensure that the reliability of our product and sustainability was achieved. The challenge ensured we all worked cooperatively as a team to complete tasks on time and eventually present our idea to the Deakin panel. We were also lucky enough that along the way we made some great friendships that made our experience even more memorable. 
Thank you to Deakin and Mckinnon for this amazing opportunity.
Amy Price & Lenore Segal Year 11 Business Management Students