Name: Scott Lowe

Hometown: Muskogee, OK

University: University of Oklahoma ‘12

Major: Engineering Physics

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

It seemed like a great opportunity that met both of my job requirements: high impact as well as intellectually, professionally, and personally rewarding.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

I was reading in my room. I promptly called my mother, posted to Facebook, then went back to reading.

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

Perhaps I’m a bit ambitious here, but I would ideally like to feel completely prepared to build a company from scratch after my VFA experience.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

This is a question I can’t answer lightly; I simply don’t have enough information. With a gun to my head, I would pick a warm beach.

Best thing about University of Oklahoma: Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, bar none.

Favorite Book: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It really changed my perspective on being human.

Favorite childhood TV show: I loved a lot of shows. A representative sample includes Power Rangers, Dragonball Z, Monster Garage, BattleBots, South Park and Family Guy.

Favorite meal: Panang Curry at Thai Delight in Norman, Oklahoma. Note, this changes regularly.

Role model: Christopher Hitchens

Favorite holiday: Christmas. Everyone is decidedly happier, I get to spend time with the family, and presents are awesome.

Best class you’ve ever taken: Politics of US Economic Policy with Dr. David Ray at OU. Take it.

Favorite movie quote: “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.” -Fight Club

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Catch up on things that didn’t get done on the other six days.

Favorite entrepreneur: Thomas Jefferson

Favorite cereal: Chocolate Marshmallow Mateys; it’s a chocolate knock-off of Lucky Charms.

Most worn article of clothing: My purple hoodie. In fact, I’m wearing it right now.

Favorite sports team: OKC Thunder! Truthfully, I don’t much care for sports, but I was really excited that Oklahoma now has a professional sports team.

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Christmas Break senior year. Me, my two roommates, and two fellow engineering physics seniors went on a cross country road trip. We hit Chicago, New York, Boston, and Knoxville in seven days. It was filled with more sleeping in cars and dubstep than you can imagine.

Favorite historical figure: Too many good ones to pick a favorite. I’m a big fan of Thomas Jefferson, Richard Feynman, Abraham Lincoln, Adam Smith, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, Martin Luther King Jr., and Carl Sagan just to name a few.

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: I had to pick between VFA and an offer from a Dallas startup the day our offer was due, but I couldn’t decide. I went back and forth all night, built a pro/con matrix, spoke with my mentors, but I still couldn’t decide. I resolved to flip a coin and have’t looked back since.

As week two of the VFA Fellow Training Camp at Brown University comes to a close, the fellows are all settled in at Brown University in Providence, RI. Between redesigning the VFA website, training with Fred Dust and his colleagues from IDEO, and completing a business model challenge, the fellows have been hard at work (and having some fun, too.)

During the first week of camp, our fellows competed in a “Website Challenge” to redesign the VFA website. Check out the video one of our teams created below:

There are more updates to come! If you want to keep up with our fellows during their five-week training, you can follow them on the VFA Fellows Tumblr and on Twitter.

Name:    Roanne Lee

Hometown: North Hollywood, CA

University: Georgetown University ‘12

Major: Finance and International Business

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

I first heard about VFA on NPR (KCRW) while stuck in LA traffic. It sounded like exactly what I wanted to do and I remember repeating the name over and over again for the next thirty minutes until I got home and could write it down on paper.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

Mid-tweet, ack!

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

I’m overwhelmed but also excited to see how much I can learn start-ups/tech related through VFA. I love the idea that there is no limit and I’ll be able to tap into expansive resources and interact with enterprising people.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Among the cities I’ve visited, probably Amsterdam because it has some of the most beautiful architecture with plenty of progressive and interesting people.

Best thing about Georgetown: Our mascot – this might be shallow but it’s indicative of how cute our new mascot, JJ, really is. (look up the videos!)

Favorite Book: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Also recently, I found Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman to be perceptive and compelling.

Favorite childhood TV show: Animaniacs

Favorite meal: When my friend treated me for my birthday to the tasting menu at Pure Food and Wine in NYC, I dream about it.

Role model: Frida Kahlo

Favorite holiday: July 4th, just because it’s been so different, but always great, every year.

Best class you’ve ever taken: News, Story, Film – We studied the diverse narratives constructed through newspaper articles, books, and films of three historical events that included the Rodney King trials, the Killing Fields, and the Chicago Leopold and Loeb case.

Favorite movie quote: Butch Cassidy to the Sundance Kid, “Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.”

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Hiking at Temescal Canyon with my dog and laying by the beach afterwards.

Favorite entrepreneur: Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Square

Favorite cereal: Lucky Charms – They’re Magically Delicious!

Most worn article of clothing: Denim button-down shirt.

Favorite sports team: Lakers

Best trip you’ve ever been on: First time in Paris, recording a music video by the Sacre-Coeur.

Favorite historical figure: Michelangelo

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Climbing Half Dome at Yosemite and finishing the hike down on a sprained ankle.

Thanks to everyone who attended the 2012 VFA Summer Celebration on Tuesday evening at the IAC HQ in New York City! It was a wildly successful night filled with VFA fellows, friends, and supporters, and even featured food and drinks from each of our five cities.

We heard from 2012 Fellow Derek Turner about what it’s like to be part of the inaugural class of fellows and Andrew Yang about VFA’s tremendous progress over the past year. The highlight of the evening was a speech from VFA’s 2012 honoree Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos and founder of the Downtown Project, who spoke about his plans to revitalize Downtown Las Vegas.

Watch the video below for a glimpse of what the night entailed:

Name:   Barry Conrad

Hometown: Louisville, CO

University: University of Oklahoma ‘12

Major: Finance

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

Each year I see entrepreneurially minded individuals give in to the pressures of post collegiate employment and accept high paying positions at highly structured corporations. While the immediate monetary payoff is significant, the lack of creativity and inspiration causes these individuals to lose their passion for innovation. Knowing this, I searched all summer for a position that wouldn’t box me in and, even more so, would allow me to be a part an organization with a social agenda I am completely aligned with. Venture for America was love at first sight (I guess I believe in that now), and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this incredible inaugural fellowship class.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

My fellow University of Oklahoma comrade in arms Scott Lowe called me to inform me of his acceptance at around 2pm. I waited around anxiously for three hours until I had to board the train to Newark to catch my plane. I checked my phone before I entered a long tunnel knowing I would lose cell reception for a few minutes. Nothing. Upon exiting the tunnel I had a voice mail from Andrew letting me know the good news.

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

After meeting a good portion of the selected fellows at the interview I’m thrilled to be associated with such a talented group of individuals from around the country and I look forward to working with them over the next several years.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Galway, Ireland. Beautiful country, wonderful people, and rain 24/7.

Best thing about Univeristy of Oklahoma: A true sense of family and community within the student body. Also Blake Griffin.

Favorite Book: Harry Potter (obsessed), Catcher and the Rye, The Alchemist

Favorite childhood TV show: Rugrats

Favorite meal: Lasagna

Role model: My little brother Timmy

Favorite holiday: Christmas

Best class you’ve ever taken: AP US History (shout out to Mr. Farrell)

Favorite movie quote: “You’re my boy, Blue! You’re my boy.“ – Old School

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Catch up on Bill Simmons podcasts

Favorite entrepreneur or start-up company: Entrepreneur: Mark Zuckerberg, Start Up: Square

Favorite cereal: Captain Crunch

Most worn article of clothing: A “Fear the Beard” shirt I got in San Francisco in honor of one of my favorite athletes, Brian Wilson.

Favorite sports team: Oklahoma Sooners Football

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Spent a weekend in Berlin. Fantastic currywurst.

Favorite historical figure: Adam Smith

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: 4×400 track team

Name:   James Fayal

Hometown: Stonington, CT

University: University of Maryland, College Park ‘12

Major: Finance

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

For most of my life I’ve dreamed of starting a successful company and I saw the VFA program as a great launching pad to reach that goal. The program provides us the opportunity to see how a start-up is run, learn what mistakes to avoid and connect with professionals in the field.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

I was watching the Patriots defeat the Ravens in the conference championships. It was a nice surprise to accompany a great victory for my favorite football team.

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

The chance to work at a start-up company is an amazing opportunity that is rarely afforded to new college graduates. I’m also excited to meet influential individuals in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Most of all, I hope to have a tangible and beneficial impact on a young company.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

I would be naïve to think I’ve found it yet…but somewhere with good skiing would be nice.

Best thing about UMD: The major sports scene and the support that the business school provides its students.

Favorite Book: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

Favorite childhood TV show: Hey Arnold!

Favorite meal: Eggs benedict with extra hollandaise.

Role model: Warren Buffett

Favorite holiday: 4th of July

Best class you’ve ever taken: My high school Psychology of War class

Favorite movie quote: “Toga! Toga!” – Animal House

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Catch up on sleep and school work, but mostly sleep.

Favorite entrepreneur or start-up company: Entrepreneur: Sir Richard Branson, Start-up: Quirky

Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Most worn article of clothing: Levi Jeans

Favorite sports team: Boston Celtics

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Two mission trips to Ecuador

Favorite historical figure: Andrew Jackson – Anybody with a history of dueling and a portrait in the White House is good in my book.

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Winning the Connecticut Invention Convention and forming a small company around the product I invented.