Faculty Profile: Blake Sims, Entrepreneur

Blake Sims--a teacher from Illinois turned entrepreneur extraordinaire--entered the ASP bubble this year to teach Innovation and Action. Her previous education formed her opinion that entrepreneurship is a must for the 21st century workforce.

Blake went to University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with an Elementary Education major.  Her first job was working with Chicago Public Schools. She left the classroom two years ago to get her master’s from Harvard, which exposed her to entrepreneurship.

Not being a New Hampshire native, Blake did not go to ASP.  She heard of the program from her former employer whose daughter recently graduated from St. Paul’s School.  Before she came here she was living in Boston developing a start up similar to Innovation in Action.

Blake’s teaching style brings forth skills that she believes all students have inherently. She said “by practicing these skills, it leads naturally to identifying solutions that could be marketed as businesses and entrepreneurship provides the framework to do just that.” Blake believes that this class is a good vehicle to teach 21st century skills that all students should have.  

With success and failure being such a huge part about entrepreneurship, it is no wonder that Blake loves hearing the presentations in chapel that touch upon just that.  Sometimes she feels that the chapel presentations mirror the topic that she and her intern, Sydney, will be talking about that day.  

Blake thinks that Sydney “is awesome… and is learning about these topics just like the kids are.”  She hopes that Sydney is getting a lot out of the class as well and is doing a lot of self reflection.

After ASP she will be continuing work and development on the start-up. She hopes to return to ASP next year to continue her work teaching 21st century skills.

Blake may seem like she is all about entrepreneurship, because it is such a huge part of her life and she enjoys it, but there is more to her than that. Blake has gone to 20 countries and her life goal is to go to all seven continents. She one day hopes to write a book, but that will not distract her from her love of teaching and practicing entrepreneurship.

This class is dear to her heart. She puts to use the skills that she teaches the ASP students.