Alexandra Chu, Founder & Executive Director at MedCreate.
Our latest feature is the last of three Gen Z features we did featuring up-and-coming business women. Alexandra contacted us and we were beyond impressed. She started her non profit organization a year ago, when she was just 14 years old. It has since expanded to over 20 countries, 3,000 IG followers, 80 cities and 180 members. Alexandra leads a team of 18 motivated young women volunteering to make it a success. They offer classes, host events and create a showcase to feature artwork. Not bad for 15 years old!
I am a firm believer in creating your own success and it is clear that these ladies are well on their way to carving out their own success.
Read on to find out more about Alexandra, the most rewarding aspects of starting MedCreate and how she came up with the idea.
Tell us a bit about yourself? What is your background and how did you end up where you are?
I'm Alexandra, and I'm a fifteen-year-old entrepreneur from New York. In July of 2020, I founded MedCreate, an international nonprofit organization that works to merge the worlds of medicine and creativity as well as foster a community of students who are enthusiastic about both science and the humanities.
Congrats on the success of MedCreate. Can you tell us about how the idea came about?
I have never been able to choose between science and the arts. Ever since I was little, I have loved dancing, producing music, writing, and creating art. However, I've also wanted to pursue a career in medicine like a few of my relatives. After a few years, it occurred to me that I could try to merge the two fields. I spent some time researching the importance of creativity in medicine, and MedCreate was an idea that was born out of that research.
What has been the most rewarding aspect about starting MedCreate? What has been the most challenging?
The most rewarding aspect about starting MedCreate has been the people I have been able to impact. Over the past year, we've received so many messages from people explaining how they have also had this dilemma over science vs. the humanities and how MedCreate has been a way for them to bridge the divide. Reading stories like these from people all over the world is always the highlight of my day. The most challenging aspect of starting MedCreate was my own self-doubt. Doing research about a subject by yourself is something all students have to do, but leading nearly two hundred members of a global organization towards a common goal isn't quite as common, and it seemed like a dauntless task. I was constantly questioning my leadership skills, wondering if I was doing the right thing for my team and for my org.
You are truly a global organization with presence in over 20 countries, 5 continents and over 180 members. How did you grow MedCreate to where it is currently?
Growing MedCreate has been a slow but steady task. We have posted opportunities on a bunch of volunteer websites in an attempt to reach out to more people, and this has definitely worked. We also rely on social media, word-of-mouth, collaborations with other student organizations, and our chapter program where members can start a branch of MedCreate in their own school.
How important is social media to the success of MedCreate?
Social media is incredibly important to our success. Our target audience is members of Gen Z, and no age group can navigate social media better than teenagers. We constantly post on our Instagram where we have 3.4k followers, and we also use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. MedCreate would be nowhere near as successful as we are today without social media.
What do you do when you are creatively stuck?
I consult with my teammates! Our organization boasts nearly two hundred members as of this writing, and each person in our community has their own set of skills, personality traits, and perspectives. Whenever I feel creatively stuck, I reach out to everyone as a whole or just a few specific members I'm closer to and ask for their opinions. We're all like-minded people in terms of our goals and hopes, but we all have very different ways of thinking. Because of this, it's inevitable that we'll break through any barriers we encounter.
Do you have a favorite podcast? If so, what is it and why do you love it?
One of my favorite podcasts would be Daebak Show with Eric Nam! I'm a big K-Pop fan, so I love listening to the podcast's peeks into the K-Pop industry. I also really enjoy the EntrepreNUers Podcast hosted by Ali Debow and Weilyn Chong. They have built a great community of female entrepreneurs, and hearing all of these great entrepreneurs' stories has been really motivating.
Is there anyone that has inspired you or is a mentor to you?
To be honest, there are too many figures who have inspired me to name. However, I would like to mention my family as my inspiration. They're always there for me, and I'm eternally grateful for them.
What do you think is one thing women can do more to support each other?
Make more connections!
