Yanina Wolfe

1. STARTINGBLOC 2013 FELLOW CANDIDATE
A dedicated individual with a multicultural
background who is knowledgeable, hungry
for challenge and growth, and committed to
affecting change.
Surviving is not enough and neither is
waiting for someone else to bring the change.

2. International Background
 Russian born, New York City raised
 My family emigrated when I was young to escape anti-Semitism and a lack of opportunity.
 Being an immigrant from a lower socio-economic family, I had to navigate two different
worlds, sometimes feeling caught between past and future, and still with the memory of
scarcity lingering.
 I had to create a hybrid Russian-American culture for myself, and this fluidity has always
drawn me towards converging systems. Social enterprise. Socially-driven businesses.
 Desire to understand power and social systems
 I focused on political science and cultural theory in my undergraduate studies.
 I studied power in all of its forms, and the reasons why some had it and others didn’t.
 I was selected to join a competitive and intensive Leadership Course at Hobart and William
Smith Colleges that focused on aspects of leading self, other and organizations.
Then I took my education across oceans.

3. Handshakes Abroad
Traveled independently throughout Eastern Europe in order
I spent two summers in Israel gaining a fuller understanding to understand the former Yugoslav region and its people in
of the religions and cultures of the Middle East. contemporary times. My perspective was shaped having first-
hand interactions with the people living there.
I was barely two hours away when Haifa was bombed. I
turned to a girl near me and asked what to do. She I saw buildings scarred with bullet wounds from a decade
smiled, shrugged, and said, ‘Welcome to Israel’ and ago, and a people and economy learning to rebuild.
continued shopping.
Using my entrepreneurial
sensibility I studied and traveled
abroad to test what I learned
against what exists on the ground.
Spent my junior year studying political and cultural relations For almost half a year, I traveled , taught, volunteered and
in Maastricht University in the Netherlands and in the learned from the streets in Thailand and India.
University of East Anglia in England. I networked with small businesses owners, freelancers, and
entrepreneurs to understand their particular challenges and
strategies.
Surrounded by innumerable international students, I began
to see the world through their lens.
I witnessed what it means to be stateless when I helped
provide aid and education to unrecognized hill-tribe
communities in northern Thailand.

4. Anecdotes from Abroad
Her nickname was Baby. We met in a
village in the Punjab area of India. She
wanted me to take a photo of her in her
small store of she is incredibly proud.
There are no paved roads in her small
village, and most people still use cow dung
to heat their homes. We spent a day
together as she confided her challenges to
me.
In the flower night market in
Bangkok, Thailand. I was told that
the best time to go was 3am. Not
only is Bangkok truly the city that
never sleeps, I learned how hard
that toll can be on small
shopkeepers and their employees.

5. Building From the Ground Up
 Through volunteer leadership I have focused on impact and community
 I began One Brick Boston off the ground and helped young professionals successfully
connect with nonprofits.
 I re-launched the Boston+Acumen chapter as co-chair of its revitalized board.
 I lead both organizations while maintaining a fulltime job in the public sector at the MBTA.
 One Brick Boston
 I believe not only in micro-loans, but also micro-good deeds.
 I bonded busy professionals without sufficient for a recurring commitment , and I made
volunteering easy, commitment-free, and possible while simultaneously bringing awareness
to worthwhile causes.
 Acumen Fund
 Shortly after joining Boston’s new Acumen Fund chapter, I assumed the role of Co-Chair
based on my innovative recommendations.
 We re-confirmed our chapter’s dual focus on creating dialogue around issues in
international development and supporting social entrepreneurs.

6. Cross-Sector Adaptability
 Collaboration is key
 Partnerships are essential to creating market driven solutions to global
issues, and its not enough to have background in only one type of sector.
 Multi-Sector Professional Experience
 I have sought out work in various fields, industries and sectors in order
to gain a holistic approach to problem solving.
 Because I have experience working in all of these arenas I can fluidly
move from private to nonprofit to government organizations. This
adaptability gives me an edge often required in social enterprises.
 Into The Fire
 I have worked independently in many of my roles and have often had to
define my own roles and expectations as I was not part of an incoming
class, nor a peer set.

7. Build Relationships to Build Change
 Through my work with One Brick, by leading
Boston+Acumen, and through my cross-
departmental efforts at the MBTA I am already
creating spaces for impactful conversations among
various groups and interests.
 In the same manner StartingBloc raises impact and
fosters change by bringing together more than just
individual Fellows, but also their
families, communities, and worlds.

8. Solutions Need New Perspectives: The Outsider Lens
 Often my upbringing made me feel like an outsider. I have since
learned that this is a strength enabling me to better listen and learn.
 This outsider lens lead me to seek out untraditional travel
experiences. I am not afraid to be uncomfortable, or to be the
“other”-it is an advantage, and this keener perspective on
social, cultural, and business interactions gives me an insight I hope
to bring to StartingBloc.
 My unique perspective gives me the ability to conceptualize a
different world and future - one that I will hopefully build with other
Fellows.

9. Final Thoughts
Creative
problem
Grit solving and
Calm and critical Team
diplomatic thinking Collaborator
Yanina
Wolfe
Insatiable Natural
curiosity cultural
acclimatization
Emotional Independent
intelligence Leader