NEXT Innovation Scholar Charlie Harker

From strategizing with community leaders on the future of transportation solutions to collaborating with global corporate partners to dive into complex consumer insights, the NEXT Innovation Scholars (NIS) program at the University of Cincinnati empowers a new generation of leaders and problem solvers. 

Spearheaded by UC President Neville G. Pinto, the program immerses students in interdisciplinary experiences across various industries and cultures of innovation, fostering forward-thinking problem solvers who embrace ambiguity with curiosity and confidence to drive innovation. Among the current cohort of scholars is Charlie Harker, Med’ 27, whose time as a NEXT Innovation Scholar has provided access to global thought leaders in strategic thinking and innovation. Recently, Harker, a medical science student, shared her experiences and insights that she’s gaining from the program.

Charlie Harker: Driven by the desire to learn and experience all that I can, I grew up racing to different sports practices, coming in before and after school for club meetings and packing my schedule with as many classes as possible. NIS was presented as a program that would allow these parts of me to thrive, and it was clear that I needed to be part of this dynamic environment.

Harker: I try to ensure that everything I do takes me one step closer to becoming the best version of myself. NIS has taught me how to look at the world from an angle that allows me to have the most significant impact. I see things differently, I think about things differently, and I solve things differently, and it has only been two years.

Harker: This past year, three other NEXT Innovation Scholars and I participated in the Future of Mobility + AI: A Design Challenge. This was a collaborative event hosted by the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, the MIT Media Lab, the City Science Lab, Hyundai America Technical Center and UC Digital Futures that asked teams to propose possible transportation systems that could be of use in 2025 in Cincinnati. My team and I spent countless hours researching the City of Cincinnati and ‘truly falling in love with the problem.’ We use this phrase at NIS to encourage students to go the extra mile to understand why the root of the problem helps us create the most effective solution. This event catapulted my confidence and showed me how much I had learned in the last year and how beneficial these skills are to creating the future I want to see one day.

Harker: NIS teaches you how to solve incredibly complex issues you might not have ever had any experience with. For example, I recently worked on a project requiring us to solve how a luxury hair brand should make systematic changes to retain customers.

Harker: I have always known that I want to be a doctor, but NIS has shown me all the possibilities that I can have an impact in the medical world. I have learned about jobs that I did not even know existed and have re-evaluated how I can best be of use in the medical field. I always thought being in the patient room was the only option, but NIS has helped me see how important it is to step back and look at the system.

Harker: Take advantage of every available opportunity and do it wholeheartedly. What we have at NIS is like nothing else in the country, believe me; I toured countless schools. The opportunity to be taught these high-level systems of thinking and be able to apply them to corporate clients as an undergrad is unbelievable, so you need to soak up as much of it as you can.

Featured image at top: Charlie Harker, Med '27. Photo/Provided