3 Takeaways from a WIT Teen

by 2nd year WIT Teen Rosie Alchalel
Founder of Good Hair Day

If you would have asked me two years ago, before I joined WIT, “do you think anything from this program will stick with you forever?” I would have responded, “uhhh, probably not.” But now, two years and one enterprise later, ask me the same question and my response is simply: “duh.”
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For one, I can finally make an effective phone call. Before WIT, I would freeze up during phone calls, anything ranging from family members, customer service, even ordering takeout was a strict “no” from me. But now, I am unphased by the once suspenseful ringing. I can confidently say I could call anyone and hold the conversation effectively. When I am calling volunteers for my organization, Good Hair Day, I am able to introduce myself and carry out my ask flawlessly. I guess it was all in the practice. Practice that I probably would not have had without WIT.

Second, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, LinkedIn. I cannot say this enough so I will say it again: LINKEDIN!!!!! This program which I had once never heard of is now my very own hub filled with many guest speakers, WIT students from around the country, and other inspiring people that I have met not only on my WIT journey, but my journey through high school. I have realized that we can never become successful without connections, and LinkedIn is the easiest way to solidify those connections.

Third, I learned the importance of gratitude and how to show genuine gratitude, three words: thank you notes. I remember that I once thought these were a waste of time, a waste of paper. I refused to send them out after my Bat Mitzvah because I thought people felt the same. But then I wrote one—a genuine one. And it truly changed my life. I realized that our gratitude for people can often slip over our heads if it is not captured on paper. Not only that, but a lot of times people don’t realize how much they are appreciated if we don’t tell them- and it means a whole lot more when it is on paper.

So, as I carry on in my journey as an entrepreneur, I carry these skills with me. Skills that I can genuinely say came directly from WIT.