Accelerate Appreciates All STRIVE Accomplishes

Written By: Brandon Black

Nothing describes the holiday season more than giving thanks to those you appreciate. Accelerate is no exception to this as the Accelerate Maker Space hosted STRIVE Wentworth Training Program students to a special holiday themed thank you in the holiday season of 2019.

Accelerate is Wentworth’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. If you asked every student at the university where their favorite spot on campus is, “Accelerate” is the response you will get more times than not. As a student graduating from Wentworth, this comes as no surprise at all.

Almost every school preaches inclusivity and diversity but Accelerate is unmatched in truly achieving this. This is not difficult to achieve for the entrepreneurship center due to the structure of their program.

The biggest draw to the program is what is known as the “Startup Challenge”, in which students come together with an entrepreneurial idea in hopes of receiving funding up to $10,000. What’s the catch you ask? Each group is made up of at least two students and must include at least two students from different majors/disciplines. Wentworth is very “cliquey” and the cliques that form are almost exclusively students interacting only with students from their own major. Accelerate unlocks the opportunity to branch out in such a natural way.

Between the various workshops and the warm inviting nature that everyone within Accelerate possesses, everyone becomes friendly with everyone. When I worked for Accelerate, the STRIVE students would come in each morning and . A simple “good morning” and “thank you” exchange between them and I would improve my outlook on the day and it clearly made them happy to be appreciated as well.

This appreciation would be extended when over 20 STRIVE Wentworth Training Program students entered Accelerate with various games and activities scattered amongst the large maker space. Activities ranged from a goofy holiday photo booth all the way to the introduction of virtual reality gaming to these students.

It was obvious to all that attended, that the event was a slam dunk success and the perfect way Accelerate could have shown their appreciation. The STRIVE students had the ability to enjoy leisure time in a location that they would typically be working.

The candle making station was a big hit as students had the ability to customize their very own candles. There were holiday themed designs on paper that one could color with crayons. This paper was then pressed onto the candle with wax paper and after applying heat, the design was permanently placed on the candle. An incredibly thoughtful holiday gift!

As previously mentioned, the holiday themed photobooth also garnered quite the attention from students and faculty alike! Nothing beats putting on a fun disguise and taking some pictures to celebrate the holidays. Santa hats, elf glasses, and antlers, oh my!

Accelerate is famous for having thousands of Legos in their space, and this event was no exception. A large workbench table had Legos sprawled across for anyone to enjoy. Creativity was certainly on display at this activity station.

With Accelerate being such an open space, there was even room for some outdoor activities. The team broke out the cornhole boards and thus bean bags were tossed. The students from STRIVE were simply thrilled to have this game accessible to them indoors!

However, the biggest draw for the STRIVE students was the giant Connect 4 game that warranted many tournaments. The competition was comparable to the NBA Finals seeing these students play.

As if the activities were not enough, the day culminated in what everybody likes doing, eating some food. Catered food, pizza and desserts were on tap for all to enjoy. Everyone came together to sit around the space and reflect on the great day they have had. The faculty of Wentworth and Accelerate were the ones handing out the food to all as a little extra thank you.

The friendly environment of Accelerate was the perfect location to host this event. The students working for STRIVE Wentworth Training Program do so much to keep the university running smoothly. Without these bright young individuals, the days of everyone in an office or classroom at Wentworth would be much more difficult. As a member of the Wentworth community, specifically the Accelerate team, I would like to thank everyone at STRIVE Wentworth Training Program for all that you do. You are recognized, appreciated, and loved by all in the Wentworth community.