Summary
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Harrison Kitson, Claudia Mercado, and Annie Xu sit down with Jenna Kempkes, a senior biomedical engineering major at the University of Arkansas and the winner of Startup Junkie’s Student Expo during last November’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. As a patient care technician at UAMS and a student intern at the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Jenna is passionate about applying her biomedical engineering skills and knowledge to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare. Jenna has received the Gilman Scholarship, was awarded first place at the NWA Biodesign Sprint Program, has been included in published research in the GeroScience journal, co-founded and led the Pre-Med Hogs student organization, and completed several study abroad programs in Germany and Kenya. She is also an active member of the Army ROTC, the Honors College Executive Board, and various pre-health and medical humanities clubs. Throughout the episode, Jenna shares about the provisional patent on her Pavlik harness for hip dysplasia, her experience with Startup Junkie’s Student Expo, and her outlook on being a young entrepreneur.
Show Notes
(0:46) Introducing Jenna Kempkes
(2:50) About Jenna’s Harness
(4:30) The Inspiration behind Jenna’s Journey
(5:49) Jenna’s Research Process
(10:11) Next Steps for Jenna
(11:43) Jenna’s Experience with the Office of Entrepreneurship
(13:41) How Jenna Stays Driven
(17:36) The Impact of COVID
(18:52) Jenna’s Experience at Startup Junkie’s Student Expo
(22:48) Advice to Younger Self
Links
Quotes
“I’ve only known this, I call it an organized chaos lifestyle, but it’s something I’ve realized I really love and is really important to me…and I keep finding more opportunities, and I’m really big on why say no? What’s the worst that will happen if you try?” – Jenna Kempkes, (14:34)
“I hear the word entrepreneurship and I [think] I’m too young. I can’t do that. I still feel that way sometimes because it’s this scary world and you hear these people and everything they’ve given up for it…I didn’t realize that it could be something I explored safely at the University and that I didn’t have to have some big idea…And now I’ve realized you don’t have to start a business to be an entrepreneur.” – Jenna Kempkes, (20:11)
“Encourage an open mind. Having an open mind about everything around you is life changing…and so that closed mindset could have stopped me from a lot of things, but I’d want to encourage myself to take those opportunities. There’s nothing wrong with failing. A lot of people want to be perfect, they’re high achieving. It’s scary to fail, but it’s okay to fail. And I feel like I’ve learned more through my failures than I have through my successes.” – Jenna Kempkes, (23:12)
Interviewing Students – Student Expo Winner
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Harrison Kitson, Claudia Mercado, and Annie Xu sit down with Jenna Kempkes, a senior biomedical engineering major at the University of Arkansas and the winner of Startup Junkie’s Student Expo during last November’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. As a patient care technician at UAMS and a student intern at the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Jenna is passionate about applying her biomedical engineering skills and knowledge to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare. Jenna has received the Gilman Scholarship, was awarded first place at the NWA Biodesign Sprint Program, has been included in published research in the GeroScience journal, co-founded and led the Pre-Med Hogs student organization, and completed several study abroad programs in Germany and Kenya. She is also an active member of the Army ROTC, the Honors College Executive Board, and various pre-health and medical humanities clubs. Throughout the episode, Jenna shares about the provisional patent on her Pavlik harness for hip dysplasia, her experience with Startup Junkie’s Student Expo, and her outlook on being a young entrepreneur.
A Journey to Entrepreneurship
Jenna’s journey into entrepreneurship began with a spontaneous experience during a healthcare hackathon. Admitting that she initially had reservations about delving into the world of entrepreneurship, she found herself inspired by the opportunity to make a tangible impact. Her innovative project, a Pavlik harness designed to help babies with hip dysplasia, was born out of a desire to modernize an outdated medical device and improve the lives of both the infants and their families.
What sets Jenna’s story apart is her willingness to embrace new opportunities and to challenge her own assumptions. After her initial apprehensions around the term “entrepreneurship,” reflecting the common misconception that it solely relates to starting a business, she realized entrepreneurship encompasses innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.
“I hear the word entrepreneurship and I [think] I’m too young. I can’t do that. I still feel that way sometimes because it’s this scary world and you hear these people and everything they’ve given up for it…I didn’t realize that it could be something I explored safely at the University and that I didn’t have to have some big idea…And now I’ve realized you don’t have to start a business to be an entrepreneur.” – Jenna Kempkes, (20:11)
Keeping an Open Mind
Jenna’s experience is particularly significant because of the universal lessons it imparts about entrepreneurship. Her familiarity with impostor syndrome, fear of failure, and opening her mind to unexpected opportunities mirror the struggles and triumphs that many budding entrepreneurs encounter. Her words of wisdom about embracing failure, and the invaluable lessons it can bring, serve as inspiration for aspiring innovators everywhere.
Jenna encourages others to have an open mind because the minute you adopt a closed mindset, it can hinder you from a lot of opportunities. Jenna is a testament to the fact that anyone, regardless of their age or background, can become an entrepreneur by embracing new opportunities and channeling what they’re passionate about to enact change.
“Encourage an open mind. Having an open mind about everything around you is life changing…and so that closed mindset could have stopped me from a lot of things, but I’d want to encourage myself to take those opportunities. There’s nothing wrong with failing. A lot of people want to be perfect, they’re high achieving. It’s scary to fail, but it’s okay to fail. And I feel like I’ve learned more through my failures than I have through my successes.” – Jenna Kempkes, (23:12)
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