Austin Castle has always meant business - it was his time at the University of Cincinnati, though, that reshaped his mindset and equipped him to succeed.
Take, for example, Castle's experience as one of UC's NEXT Innovation Scholars. This cohort-based program, housed at the 1819 Innovation Hub, consists of students who serve as the university's leading "ambassadors of innovation," supplementing their degrees with skills such as design thinking and future forecasting.
Through this program, Castle gained valuable insights into business leadership that he's excited to apply to his postcollege role. As he sets out toward success, we'll look at Castle's journey to reveal how he leveraged his talents while at UC to shape a promising path forward.
"I wanted to get outside of my Lindner bubble and get to work with a wide variety of students across campus," Castle says of joining NEXT Innovation Scholars. "I also wanted to immerse myself deeper in design thinking and human-centered design as I knew how critical it was to solving problems properly."
Castle made the right choice by applying for NEXT Innovation Scholars. The highly selective, cohort-based program empowers leading Bearcat students to apply innovation tools and mindsets across a range of industries. For Castle, it became a transformative experience.
While Castle didn't know exactly what NEXT Innovation Scholars would entail at first, he hoped it would broaden his mindset and positively contribute to his future career. As a recent UC graduate, he'll gladly share that he received those benefits and more.
"(NEXT Innovation Scholars) widened my view of the world and of people," Castle says. "It showed me the value of having people from different backgrounds approach the same problem to create one solution together. It taught me resilience and perseverance and understanding that not everything in life will be linear … it also gave me fundamental tools for how to approach problem-solving from putting the human or consumer at the center."
During his time in the program, Castle worked on innovation sprints with 1819 Innovation Hub partner Procter & Gamble and with luxury fragrance and hair care brands. Along with design thinking, he collaborated with companies on brand ideation, product packaging design and collecting consumer insights using AI.
"(NEXT Innovation Scholars) has given me a foundation and a tool kit to address any problem in any field," Castle says. "It has shown me how to ideate, think creatively, think with others and drive change for the future."
Now that he's officially a UC graduate, Castle is excited to join Bain & Company as an associate consultant in Los Angeles. He credits his experience in NEXT Innovation Scholars and throughout the 1819 Innovation Hub for giving him the tools to thrive.
"1819 has given me so many resources and trainings from day one," Castle says. "There was never a day where I left 1819 and didn't learn something. It's a building I recommend that all UC students utilize and take advantage of before they graduate."
Castle has sage advice for current Bearcats on how to enrich their time at UC and set themselves up for success. "Get involved early and often," he says. "Take advantage of the opportunities in 1819 and get comfortable with being uncomfortable … not only will it make you a more well-rounded Bearcat, but it'll make your time at UC more rewarding and fun."
Featured image at top: Austin Castle, second from left, with other UC students. Photo/Aaron Bradley
