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Student Spotlight: Sam Edwards Revitalizes C-Shop

Alumni and friends of Antioch College will be pleased to learn that Sam Edwards, Class of 2018, used the opportunity afforded by his Senior Capstone Research Project this year to revitalize C-Shop at Antioch College! A Political Economy major, Sam has blended an interest in public policy with previous experience in food services and management. He spent his last co-op term conducting research on  worker-owned businesses. Reflecting on numerous interviews he carried out over the past year, he made the decision to employ an experiential model of research for his Senior Capstone that enabled him to apply what he had learned to the reestablishment of a beloved Antioch institution.

C-shop has existed in various forms for decades. It’s management structure has been handed down from person to person since the College’s independence in 2010. A number of projects have grown out of the efforts of a variety of committed students and presently include Community Meeting coverage, campus events catering, and a new Late-Night service institute last week. Kevin McGruder, Associate Professor of History and an entrepreneur in his own right, provided invaluable advice and assisted with a business plan workshop. Nevertheless, the success of the effort reflects the time and energy that Sam and other  dedicated students (Lindsay Browne, Kat Thomas, et al) have dedicated to the business development side of the venture. Sam reports that he has learned a considerable amount by drafting contracts, floating business models, and advancing proposals for financial assistance.

In projects to come, C-shop hopes to be able to offer a stipend for team members,  a mobile coffee cart, and eventually even a café in the Weston Hall Student Center. To keep the ball rolling, Sam has applied for the Winning Victories Scholarship that provides funding for alumni projects. If successful with that effort, he hopes to cover costs to train individuals in the second level of servsafe, cover costs for equipment upgrades, and work on brand promotion. He hopes to continue this work up to a year after his graduation date.

Interested parties and catering requests can be directed to: c-shop@antiochcollege.edu

 

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As a student at Antioch College not only am I immersed in superb rigorous work, but I am also thrown out of the coop and into the co-op world where I am expected to make my own temporary coop then return to the coop I was kicked out of to apply my experience to my education to foster tools for my future permanent coop. As of today, I am working two jobs for the first time which has proved to somehow be more tiring than working the same amount of hours at one job. This experience however, humbles me as well as tests my leadership abilities in the workplace. In regards to my first two weeks of co op I feel reminded of how testing capabilities is necessary for growth in many cases as well as a positive attitude. Progress is relative, and having a flexible agenda allows you to restructure your time in ways that leads to better work, and more enthusiastic productivity. And as I test my leadership skills in the workplace it is evident that giving myself this same flexibility to work on myself is strategic since I can allow myself more time to really focus on one part of me that needs more love than other parts of me that may not be ready for that kind of over whelming experience. While all of my skills in both of my workplaces are really mediocre I feel like these revelations of time and energy are both key elements in making my work move from mediocre to great. As well as the enthusiasm of my employers, and their willingness to not only answer my questions but teach me the ways of their profession.

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