Lee Tzanani, an Israeli undergraduate student who is studying toward a dual degree at Tel Aviv University and Columbia University, is majoring in philosophy and minoring in entrepreneurship, puts it simply: “The combination of those things is a winner.”
After completing her IDF service, Lee decided to continue her education. “I felt the need to stop and broaden my horizons,” she says. When she learned about the Tel Aviv University International program, Lee decided to combine liberal arts studies with entrepreneurship. “I major in philosophy,” says Lee, but I still touch on many other subjects. I feel like I am educating myself and feeding myself in that sense. The liberal arts program was a perfect fit of studying philosophy but touching on many other things.”
Living in Israel – known as the Startup Nation – and working at a startup, Lee knew that her entrepreneurship studies would help her grow professionally. “We had many classes, ranging from value creation to marketing to project management. It opened my eyes to more possibilities in the industry,” she says.
>>Interested in Tel Aviv University’s International BA in Management and Liberal Arts program? Click here for more information or click here to join our webinar on March 2, 2022 at 10 am EST/5 pm Israel time>>
But combining her philosophy major with the minor in entrepreneurship studies was a revelation. Lee explains that the skills she has acquired from her study of philosophy have helped her in the hi-tech world. “Learning how people learn,” says Lee, “how they made their arguments and learning to make your own arguments is a great tool to articulate my ideas and be more precise – that’s where these two worlds meet.” She adds that the multidisciplinary knowledge that she has accumulated in philosophy, literature and history at Tel Aviv University has provided her with the background to have a common language of discourse with company executives. “It opens your eyes to more directions,” she notes.
Ultimately, says Lee, entrepreneurship is a form of story-telling that requires precision and careful thinking – skills that she has acquired in her study of philosophy. “Everything has to be narrowed down and concise and exact, and making my own arguments in philosophy has given me a better way of thinking.” And while innovation and entrepreneurship are forward-looking disciplines for the 21st century, the study of ancient philosophies has helped her greatly. “Learning about what people said in the past has given me a better way of thinking,” she adds.
Lee also speaks highly of the Coller Ignite program at TAU, a student-run entrepreneurship club that holds monthly meetups, enabling students to develop their entrepreneurial skills, as a major plus, in providing tools and knowledge in innovation and entrepreneurship.
For Lee Tzanani, the highest accolade of her combined liberal arts and entrepreneurship studies has been the thrill and exhilaration of learning. “Every day, I learned something new. It was exciting!”
Interested in Tel Aviv University’s International BA in Management and Liberal Arts program? Click here for more information or click here to join our webinar on March 2, 2022 at 10 am EST/5 pm Israel time.