This reflection has been on my mind since Friday, and I want to share an experience that profoundly affirmed why I do this work.

I was facilitating my second Design Thinking workshop of the day—faculty in the morning, Fulbright scholars in the afternoon. This group included 29 international students, all academic achievers preparing for their master’s and doctoral programs, eager to engage in the process of design thinking.

When we reached the part of the workshop where I explain the six steps—Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, and Share—a young woman to my left raised her hand. She was fully engaged, a bright energy throughout the session, wearing a beautiful hijab that highlighted her unique identity.

“What is ideation?” she asked politely.

I paused to thank her for her question, knowing it might also help others in the room. I explained that “ideation” is simply a fancy way of saying “to create an idea.” I mentioned how this word, like many in business and academia, can sometimes be used to overcomplicate things or exclude others from the conversation. My goal was to make the concept accessible to everyone in the room.

The workshop progressed, and as we reached the Ideation step, this same student truly came alive. She was sketching multiple ideas during our divergent thinking exercise (brainstorming many possibilities) and confidently narrowing down to a single concept during convergent thinking (choosing one idea with input from her partner).

When we moved into prototyping, she eagerly grabbed Legos to build something tangible that represented her idea: a solution for helping her partner perform better in graduate school. Her partner reacted with enthusiasm, snapping photos of her prototype—a clear sign of its impact.

At the end of the workshop, the students invited me into their group photo, a kind gesture I always treasure. Afterward, this young woman approached me, and what she said will stay with me forever:

“I want to thank you. In my country, women are either teachers or in social services. This or that. Today, I realized that I can be anything I want to be.”

Take a moment to consider this.

She didn’t just learn how to generate an idea. She discovered that she can generate ideas—that she has the ability to shape her own path, beyond the roles traditionally expected of her.

This is the power of creativity: to empower people, especially those who may have been underestimated, to see new possibilities for themselves and their futures. It’s not just about solving problems; it’s about shifting mindsets and opening doors.

For me, this is what Empowering Creativity for Problem-Solving is all about: helping people, teams, and organizations drive innovation and achieve their objectives, while creating a space where everyone feels seen, valued, and capable.

This young woman taught me that when we encourage people to explore their creative potential, we’re not just teaching them a process—we’re enabling them to change their world.

That’s a really good day.