Blog

 
Name: Zoe Frances Chaves
Hometown: New York City
University: Brown University ’13
Company: Splitwise
Major: Architectural Studies
 
What led you to apply for Venture for America?
I first looked into VFA when a Brown professor that I respect very much, Barbara Tannenbaum, made a plug for it in class. VFA’s big picture goal of catalyzing growth in distressed urban economies immediately resonated with me. I also liked the idea of being surrounded by a cohort of young, energetic, idealistic people as I transitioned out of college- I think having a Fellow family will remove some of the vulnerability inherent to relocating to a new city and starting a new chapter.
What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?
I was waking up from a nap. Needless to say I went from groggy to ecstatic when I heard the news! Then I knocked over the cup of water on my nightstand with my happy gesticulating.
Now that you’re a Fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?
VFA demands that Fellows start adding value to their partner companies on Day 1. It’s an organization that believes in the power of young people and holds my generation to a high standard. I’m really excited to be challenged to contribute, and about the 5-week training camp that VFA will use to help me step up!
If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?
New York City. Specifically Washington Heights, which is the neighborhood in Manhattan where I grew up.
Best thing about Brown: My friends.
Favorite Book: A Passage to India by E.M. Forster.
Favorite childhood TV show: Doug!
Favorite meal: Anything my mom makes! Last Christmas she made me a binder of all the recipes she cooked for me growing up. It was the best present I’ve ever received, but somehow the dishes don’t taste as good when I make them.
Favorite holiday: Christmas. Specifically I love all the music associated with Christmas- I start listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas CD in September!
Best class you’ve ever taken: Parks and Designed Landscapes in Urban America, offered by the Urban Studies department at Brown. It taught me that parks aren’t just beautiful patches of grass for recreating- they’re tools for promoting health, equality, collective identity and community in our cities. And I got to pitch 2 park plans of my own! I also really enjoyed taking the public speaking course Persuasive Communication, and believe I’ll be leveraging those skills a lot as a Fellow.
Favorite movie quote: I rarely remember direct quotes from movies. I do occasionally like to jokingly tell my friends “you can’t sit with us!!!” (from that fine film, Mean Girls).
Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Go out to brunch.
Favorite entrepreneur: Rebecca Onie, co-founder and CEO of Health Leads. The Health Leads model is so innovative and powerful, and Onie has the skills, drive and team behind her to take it all the way. I worked for the Health Leads Providence site for 4 years and feel that it gave me the abilities and attitude I need to innovate and add value at my VFA partner company.
Favorite cereal: I like to make granola. I add coconut flakes and sliced almonds.
Most worn article of clothing: My Brown University sweatpants.
Favorite sports team: I played IM Volleyball for 2 years at Brown with a bunch of my friends. We were called ‘The Ponies’. That’s the only sports team I can name…
Best trip you’ve ever been on: In Fall 2011 I went to Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam through the International Honors Program. Our team of 33 investigated urban planning and governance across those three developing nations. My favorite part was that we lived with a home stay family in each location- I was incredibly blessed everywhere I went, staying with such interesting, welcoming and intelligent people. Those relationships added so much value to that trip, and my understanding of myself in relation to the global community.
Favorite historical figure: Siddhartha Guatama.
Accomplishment you’re most proud of:  I did a lot of different things at Brown- I studied architecture, I worked at a hospital, and I did research on health disparities in Providence. I’m proud that I can look back on all that and see something cohesive emerge. Thematically I’ve really made a commitment to urban issues and solutions, but what truly unites it all is that I pursued exactly what I wanted with passion and drive. I used to get anxious over the interview question ‘tell me about yourself’ because I would feel like such a spaz, but now I’m able to see and own the big picture of what I’ve been interested in and have accomplished so far in my life.