Coming in 2020, a tool to help you navigate transitions by designing small, meaningful projects.
Victor Saad
Founder
I’m an author, educator, and community builder living in Chicago. In 2012, I designed my own Masters by completing 12 projects in 12 months. I called it The Leap Year Project and my experiences culminated with staging my graduation at a local TEDx and publishing a book of stories focused on the power of learning through risk. I later launched Experience Institute, an organization helping college students and career professionals learn and grow through short-term, real-world experiences. In 2015, I was inducted into Forbes 30 Under 30 in the field of education. And in 2017, I joined the team at Stanford’s School of Engineering as a Lecturer in Design, helping students reimagine their learning through experience.
Posts by Victor Saad
Ei State of the Union, 2019
Wins, challenges, and where we’re going next.
Designing Workshops
How to build interactive, audience-centered workshops and learning experiences.
The GROW Model
A simple, helpful process for thinking through growth on a personal or professional level
Kickstarter Campaign Reflections
Last week, the Ei community and I completed a month-long Kickstarter campaign for Leap Kit. The days leading up to the campaign and throughout the month of October were full of twists and turns. This post will be a space to capture and share the lessons learned from leading the kickstarter campaign. Hopefully, it can … Read More
Leap Kits | Almost there!
Hey Leapers! It’s been a full two weeks around the Ei shop! Here’s the skinny: SHIPPING SOON We’d hoped to ship the final Leap Kits by today, but after seeing our first batches, we caught a few errors and decided to make a couple of perfectionist tweaks to make sure everything is just right (ie: … Read More
State of the Union, 2016
Alright, so after googling State of the Union and watching a few past speeches it seemed like a good idea to write one for Experience Institute. Not because I think of myself as a president. It’s merely an interesting way to frame an honest look at our successes and failures in 2015 while sharing goals for 2016. … Read More
Hi, IDEO: Collaboration between IDEO CHICAGO & Ei
I was one of those kids who thought superheroes were real. Capes. Tights. Feats of wonder. All of it fascinated me. And I’d be lying if I told you I’ve totally moved on from that belief. As I grew older, however, I began looking beyond laser eyes, super strength, or teleportation. Instead, I became fascinated … Read More
Redesigning the Workplace: A Class with Bandwidth Labs
Every workshop is rooted in a key problem in which the participants are going to address. In this case, we decided to focus on redesigning the way we work. For Bandwidth, it was a problem that was just far enough outside of their everyday jobs that it would push them to think differently, yet close enough to their world where they could see and feel the necessity for new ideas.
Stanford 2025: Time Traveling for Better Design
This discusses a project called @Stanford––a collaborative, interactive effort that worked to frame how d.school students might benefit from immersive learning experiences in new contexts. That’s exactly what we’re exploring through Experience Institute: the intersection between experience and education.
Meetup #3 Complete! Next Stop? September’s EXPo
A few highlights from our third Meetup.
Meet Earnest: A New Funding Option for Ei Students
There’s a saying: necessity is the mother of invention.
Facebook “Likes” Experience Institute
Good news. Facebook is joining Ei for the next two months to help us spread the word about open applications. Read more:
You as an Expert
Your stories will not only teach others how to live and be, but they will also spark action.
Applications Now Open!
Last September, a small group of students from around the country and from different industries met in Chicago to prototype a new type of school. We began by launching into two weeks of studying the same core curriculum focused on Community Building, Self Awareness, Storytelling, Operations, and Design Thinking.
Ei meets Leo
Moments like these, the ones where people choose to join forces and embark on meaningful journeys together, are the moments that define our lives and make history.
Lessons from Year One
There’s something powerful in looking back before looking ahead. I enjoy unpacking everything the previous year brought, good and bad, and examining how it should shape and mold next steps.
Project Launch: @Stanford with the d.school
I could write a novel about the rest of my time here and the amazing people who have been gracious enough to share a conversation or brainstorm about Ei with me.
Getting Started
Two years ago, I sat in my basement apartment, staring at my last paycheck, wondering if leaving my job was a massive mistake. I remember facing looming questions as I prepared to chase a seemingly foolish pipe dream of creating my own education. Like any good adventure, the following months were riddled with challenge and fraught … Read More
One Million Jobs
Since the recession began in 2007, the US has been struggling with high rates of unemployment. Even though there have been occasional signs of improvement, we’re still nowhere near where we should be. So, how do we solve the unemployment problem in America? My good friend and Experience Institute Connector, Alex Bogusky + his wife … Read More
The Power of Google’s Moonshot Thinking: From NYC to the Moon
Wherever you are, shoot for the moon. Take Leaps. Aim for the audacious. But, whatever you do…start today.
Good Timing
Have you ever tasted, felt, or experienced something so good that you had to find a way to share it?
Becoming a Misfit…in Fargo
At the end of the day the most important thing isn’t the names we build and celebrate, it’s the things we create and the people we serve.
Meeting Stanford
Conversations spanned from Experiential learning in elementary schools to high-tech web applications that could align and match students with real-world experiences that fit their learning objectives.