Chloe Hill, a senior communication studies major with a minor in management consulting in the Fox School of Business, had an idea. Since her family is in the fire sprinkler business and her partner is a firefighter, Hill quickly became aware of the statistic that most fires reported by eyewitnesses have already progressed to the point of doing serious damage. To combat this, she came up with the idea for a solar-powered sensor that uses radio transmission to send information about wildfires to dispatch before they get big enough to harm property or take lives. Being impactful, needed and environmentally conscious, Hill’s idea recently brought home the grand prize from the 2021 Changemaker Challenge at Temple’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute. 
 
As an environmental activist, Hill was disturbed by the amount of land lost to fires each year due to climate change and human causes. In addition to her personal connection to fires and firefighting, these convictions prompted her idea. “You want to protect that person, but me not being a firefighter, you can’t protect them,” she said.
 
After multiple grueling rounds of pitches and eventually making it to the final pitch session, Hill emerged victorious with the grand prize of $1500. Though she said the prize is nice, the most valuable outcomes of her participation were the feedback she received and the professional connections, especially with engineers who have the skills to help her fabricate a prototype in order to get a patent. 
 
Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Director of the Temple University Entrepreneurship Academy Alan Kerzner floated the idea of entering the challenge to the students in his Lean Startup class, in which Hill was enrolled. She thought that it would at the very least be a great opportunity to network with professionals and receive some feedback, so she began the process of entering.
 
“Chloe identified a true passion of hers which is also a major problem for this country, researched the issue and developed an innovative solution,” Kerzner said in an email. “All through the process she was open to suggestions, sought to network with experts in related areas but most importantly, never backed away from her passion or belief that she could make a difference.”
 
Professors like Kerzner and courses like his Lean Startup are a major factor in what drives Hill’s enthusiasm for business and innovation. Studying on the Communication and Entrepreneurship Track within the Communication Studies Program and taking on a minor in Management Consulting, she says that she loves the breadth of her coursework and her many options post-graduation. 
 
“I really love the wide range of courses I’ve been able to take,” she says. “I love the cultural and communication side of it that I get from my major, but I’m also very much into business, management and administration.”
 
In her future career, Hill wants to be able to exercise her communication skills in some sort of business setting, though she is very open-minded about where. She says that she is not tied to any particular industry or sector, but rather drawn to the impact she can make in people’s lives and livelihoods. From the impact she has already made here at Temple, that future is looking very bright indeed.
 
“I would love to find a way to connect with people but still help them with their businesses, or help them realize their own potential, or help them any way that I can,” she said.