Creative Thinking and Innovation

Demonstrate the capacity to think, react, and work in an imaginative way characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, calculated risk taking, and entrepreneurship.

Innovation is the key to setting oneself apart from everyone else. To make your mark, you often have to carve your own path, and this cannot be accomplished without innovation and creative thinking. Creativity is also the best way to overcome an obstacle. I try to practice innovation and creative thinking in most everything I do.

When I came to Texas A&M, I knew that academics would only be part of my experience. I devoted a lot of time here to creating ways to serve the campus community through my leadership experience in the MSC. It was imperative for me to gain that secondary education along with my academics. My leadership experiences taught me how to think outside the box and find a way to succeed in spite of obstacles. In this program, I’ve had to use those creative thinking and innovation skills to complete projects. In LDEV 688, our capstone course, my team had to propose a plan for a 15-acre mixed-use development across from NRG Stadium in Houston. For this project, we had to create a site analysis, market analysis, cost estimate, land plan, and summary poster. We all had differing ideas on the land use, so we had to think creatively to come with a compromise that incorporated parts of all our ideas, while still being a realistic concept. Compromising requires creative thinking to ensure that all parties are satisfied.