Kaleigh Simmons
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The Rollercoaster of Emotions That is Startup Hiring

  • January 14, 2014
  • Personal thoughts

When you uproot your entire life and move across the country to chase a crazy dream, you gain a weird sort of notoriety back home. A mix of hope and cynicism. Wide-eyed encouragement with a dash of misanthropy. When you fly in the face of everything you’ve been cautioned against, your elders are sitting on […]

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Top Ten Startup Institute Chicago Moments

  • December 20, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

It’s hard to distill eight life-changing weeks down to ten top moments, but here’s my best shot:

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The Finish Line

  • December 11, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

It still doesn’t feel real yet, but I’m less than a week away from officially being a Startup Institute graduate.

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The Goods: Part Two

  • December 11, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

A continuation of some of my favorite learnings as a student of Startup Institute:

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The Goods: Part One

  • December 10, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

So many people have asked, “What are you actually learning there at Startup Institute? Do you feel like you’re coming away with worthwhile skills? Are you getting your money’s worth?” Here’s the short answer: yes.

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From Scratch

  • December 1, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

A good friend from home was in town last night and even just seeing his face reminded me of how much I miss about the network of friends and colleagues I left back in Rochester. Mostly, the pure existence of one.

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Don’t Be a Jerk

  • November 22, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

If there’s one theme that has been pretty consistent through the all-star lineup of Startup Institute fireside chat speakers, it’s this – don’t be an asshole.

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Drinking From the Fire Hose

  • November 12, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

One of the things I remember distinctly about the first day of Startup Institute came from Jenn, the director.

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Stop

  • October 24, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

Yesterday, we had a session on emotional intelligence. What it means, how it affects your relationships with your team and how you can be better at it.

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Drawing the Owl

  • October 22, 2013
  • Personal thoughts

I had read about this trademark Startup Institute phrase long before I walked in the doors, but it meant something today.

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