Sophie Nguyen: Conscientious Capitalism: The Best Class I’ve Taken at SCU
As a graduating senior, I’ve spent all of my final quarter reflecting on my time at Santa Clara University. I’m taking Conscientious Capitalism, which is an application-based course that asks you to reflect on who you are and who you want to be. Sounds cheesy, but I can’t speak highly enough of the people I’ve met and how much it has helped me realize what I should be investing my time in out of college!
Conscientious Capitalism challenges you to examine your life story: where you grew up, your family dynamics, where you seek comfort in moments of stress and worry, and how you spend your time at SCU. In identifying our strengths, we can better address our weaknesses and how to remedy them before we become engrossed in our post-college careers. In addition to guest speakers, we complete case studies on prominent figures in the business world, such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo. We also meet with smaller discussion groups, aimed at giving each other constructive feedback by introducing an external party to examine our lives and character traits outside of self-reflection.
Coming into college and having to decide your major at 18 years old is the hardest decision to come to, especially since interests change over the course of four years. I identified a passion for art decently early on, but only confirmed it recently through the class by examining which college projects and leadership roles have brought me the most joy. Through Conscientious Capitalism, I developed a thorough understanding of myself, and through extensive self-reflection, I’ve better developed myself as a student, leader, and person. Whether you’re a junior registering for classes, new to campus, or looking to apply, I would strongly suggest looking into a class that takes you out of the rigidity of academic curriculums and encourages you to introspect.