Jérôme Krumenacker (2016-2021)

Jérôme joined The Trebuchet at its founding in 2016, transitioning directly from his Tufts undergraduate study and the final EPIIC year under my direction, The Future of Europe. The Trebuchet being a startup, he, from the beginning, took on an evolving role encompassing all aspects of our work until his departure in 2021. From the very inception of The Trebuchet, he was a brilliant and insightful critic and a greatly valued intellectual colleague.

I joined The Trebuchet with the goal of learning how to design and structure an educational program and approach like EPIIC, so successfully mentored students in embracing complexity and thinking entrepreneurially. I had been inspired by two key lessons I absorbed. First, students can consistently rise above expectations — even their own — when they are given ownership of and responsibility for outcomes beyond their isolated learning. Second, by flattening the distance between students and experts, not only did our education benefit immensely, but many who taught and mentored us deeply appreciated the value of the experience as well. In many cases, they took EPIIC students on in mentoring relationships.

I’ve witnessed in the past years the community created by three decades of EPIIC and other Institute programs. Both of the lessons I learned were integral to the nurturing of that community, and now describe The Trebuchet's approach. The two aspects of this mission are inextricably linked — we can only confront global issues as part of a community with a shared ethos. By mentoring the next generation, that community will remain vital and resilient.