OP-ED: Franklin’s Table Was My Idea, And I'm Not Ashamed to Admit It

It was last February—I was just a little freshman, but I already had an entrepreneurial spirit to rival Steve Jobs. I was shopping in CVS with a friend when a brilliant idea came to me.

“What if they changed the food court next to CVS into, like, a cool, hip new food hall where we can get lunch and hang out?” I asked my friend Jessica.

“I can’t find the face wash,” she responded.

And that was it, for a while. I forgot about the idea until I saw the sign announcing the new food hall. The mockup appeared exactly how I’d pictured it in my head. But here’s the thing: I never told the administration about my idea. Sure, they could’ve overhead it from the next aisle over in CVS, but it seems unlikely. I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure that Amy Gutmann implanted a chip into my brain, stole my idea, and created Franklin’s Table. The name was probably my idea too—I frequently find myself using both the words “franklin” and “table” in my day to day life.