At Kenko, a startup/ project I founded, I developed RUTFs (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods) to fight malnutrition in children in food-scarce countries like those in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This required navigating sensitive cultural conversations around food insecurity, health disparities, and local traditions and topics where missteps could feel patronizing or disconnected.

One challenge was crafting an outreach campaign for rural African and Asian communities. I needed to introduce Kenko’s RUTFs without suggesting local diets were lacking or disregarding cultural food practices. I dove into research, collaborating with local NGOs and community leaders to understand dietary norms, malnutrition stigmas, and trusted communication methods. I learned framing RUTFs as a “supplement” rather than a “fix” resonated better, honoring local food pride.

To keep it authentic, I held focus groups with mothers and caregivers, weaving their input into the messaging. I used local languages and imagery like vibrant market scenes in educational materials, avoiding Westernized visuals. I also led community workshops myself, focusing on listening to build trust and discuss malnutrition openly without judgment.

The result? The campaign launched successfully in Kenya, and Kenko became a standout success in my entrepreneurship program, sparking significant interest from mentors and peers. I gained invaluable lessons in cultural sensitivity and execution but chose to step back from the project for now. It’s my dream, and I want to gain more real-world experience before diving full force into making it a reality.

Back when I was working with a creative company called Dude Just Create ( community for creatives based in Dubai ) , I was mainly focused on organizing and planning events—think workshops, art fests, and community pop-ups. My role was to plan , handle logistics, coordinate with vendors, and make sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes. But during one of our biggest events, an art fest with over 50 attendees, our host bailed last minute, and we couldn’t get a hold of them. It was chaos, and the whole vibe of the day was at risk.

I didn’t overthink it and I just jumped in. I saw the team panicking, and I knew we couldn’t let the crowd down. Motivated by the thought of all those people showing up for a good time and the reputation of Dude Just Create on the line, I decided to host the event myself, even though public speaking wasn’t my usual gig. I scrambled to write a script in like 30 minutes, came up with two icebreaker games to get the crowd hyped, and hit the stage.

I kicked things off by welcoming everyone, cracking a few jokes to loosen them up, and running the icebreakers. One was a quick “art charades” game that got people laughing and mingling, and the other was a collaborative sketch challenge that had strangers teaming up. The energy was electric. I kept the flow tight, introduced the artists, and made sure everyone felt included. On top of that, I grabbed my film camera and shot some raw, joyful content of the crowd vibing, which we later used for promo. By the end, people were raving about how fun it was, and we wrapped the day with zero hiccups.

The outcome? The event was a hit and attendees posted about it on socials, tagging Dude Just Create, which boosted our rep and brought in new interest for future events. My team was stoked, and it cemented me as someone who could step up under pressure. I was just pumped to see everyone leave with big smiles, knowing I helped make that happen.

and yes, I’m over 21.

1. TimeMachineVibes Challenge: Get people on socials to drop wild, true stories of epic nights they actually remember ‘cause they were sipping New Brew. Tag #TimeMachineVibes. Best ones get turned into sick animated shorts by a Gen Z artist, blasted on X, TikTok, Insta. Grand prize: a “time travel” trip to a bucket-list party spot like Ibiza or Tokyo.

2. Sober Rave Livestream: Team up with a big-name DJ (BigArtists or some TikTok EDM star) for a 12-24 hour virtual rave on Twitch, YouTube, X. Call it “Sober Rave Revolution.” Everyone’s chugging New Brew. Throw in live polls (“Which New Brew flavor’s your vibe?”) maybe add some AR filters making cans glow like rave gear,

3. Meme Chaos Campaign: Spam X, TikTok, Insta with hilarious sober-life memes—“When you slay the party and your 7 AM gym sesh” with a New Brew flex. Get micro-influencers to make unhinged Gen Z skits (like New Brew drinkers clowning hungover buddies in dumb challenges). Stir up debates like “Is New Brew the nightlife cheat code?” to keep the buzz going.