"I鈥檇 like to thank the Academy ..."
![Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative award winners (from left) Regina Ye 鈥18, Kate Meacham 鈥20, Shay Lahon 鈥18 and Mariana Jaramillo 鈥20 pose with their entrepreneurship professor, Rick Feldman (Rosie Xu 鈥18 not pictured).](/sites/default/files/styles/1170x780/public/news-images/Entrepreneuship%2520Awards_HL.jpg?h=7a6e80fd&itok=HpLVGx-h)
Six students won Grinspoon awards for their new businesses, highlighting 69精品视频鈥檚 commitment to entrepreneurship.
By Kathleen Mellen
When Mariana Jaramillo 鈥20 walked into her first Social Entrepreneurship class last fall at 69精品视频 College, the film studies major had no idea that before the day was over, she would be the co-founder of a fledgling T-shirt company. Nor did she imagine that by the end of the academic year, she would win an award for her budding business acumen.
But she did 鈥 along with five other 69精品视频 students 鈥 at the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Institute Banquet, a program of the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative, held April 25 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. They were among 80 competitors from 16 colleges and universities, nominated by their faculty.
Jaramillo, religion major Kate Meacham 鈥20 and theatre arts major Rosie Xu 鈥19 won concept awards, while (computer science) and Shay Lahon 鈥18 (biology) won spirit awards.
Additionally, international relations major Inayat Gill 鈥19 won a Pitch Award at the banquet, after presenting her plans for a business called ZAP!, an app that students can use to order food delivery from students who have cars.
Each of the awards came with a cash prize.
The 69精品视频 winners were nominated by Rick Feldman, a lecturer in entrepreneurship, organizations and society, a new interdisciplinary minor that aims to build entrepreneurial competence among 69精品视频 students to effect positive transformations in business, nonprofits and society.
Interest in entrepreneurship has blossomed in the past decade, said Feldman, and the College鈥檚 developing entrepreneurship curriculum answers the growing demand among students for education in the field. Feldman also serves as the entrepreneurship coordinator.
鈥淲e鈥檙e finding ways for students who have an interest in business and organization to have opportunity here,鈥 he said. 鈥淎fter only four semesters, our program is a leader in education and action, as we continue to develop a pedagogy, curriculum, research agenda and action arena to refine entrepreneurship in a social context and at a liberal arts institution.鈥
Entrepreneurship as a field fits in perfectly in today鈥檚 economy, Feldman said, and 69精品视频 is the place to learn it: Students frequently win recognition for their work in entrepreneurship and business. That鈥檚 because the liberal arts offer the perfect preparation.
鈥淐lassic liberal arts is a cornerstone, a foundation for everything,鈥 Feldman said. 鈥淚f we look at what the learning goals are for liberal arts 鈥 critical thinking, writing and speaking skills, analytical skills, creativity, having a diverse background in literature, philosophy, economics, sociology 鈥 that鈥檚 what the corporate world needs.鈥
Starting a start-up
Jaramillo felt nonplussed that first day of class, when Feldman, the professor, told students they would be running a business before the semester was through.
鈥淚 thought, 鈥楾his is crazy,鈥 鈥 Jaramillo said. 鈥淚 had no idea how I was going to do that.鈥
But by the end of the course, she and economics major Ruth Ossenag FP鈥19 had, indeed, formed a company, Liberales, and were selling T-shirts on campus.
Encouraged by their success, Jaramillo joined the College鈥檚 130-member Entrepreneurship Club, which hosts speakers and workshops 鈥 and is a great place for networking, she noted.
She also signed up for another class with Feldman, Entrepreneurship Capstone, in the spring, and formed a second business, Dig it Media 鈥 a small marketing concern with an emphasis on social media 鈥 for which she won the Grinspoon award. Her first client is ZIRUI Go, a successful travel cosmetics business run by Ye, who also started her enterprise in one of Feldman鈥檚 classes.
Support across the board
69精品视频 students and recent graduates now have social enterprises and social entrepreneurship plans in several countries including Malawi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, India, , Nicaragua, , the United States, South Africa and Kenya. And through a program collaboration, the entrepreneurship minor and the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives have awarded seed grants to six of these startup social enterprises.
Indeed, Feldman says, the strength of the program lies in its interdisciplinary nature, with participation across departments. It also has received enthusiastic support from alumnae, he added, many of whom have started their own businesses.
鈥淢ore than 200 students have enrolled in our courses,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his past year alone, 140 students took five entrepreneurship courses and more than a dozen created independent-study projects. Turns out there are students every major who want to look at business opportunities and organization.鈥
Jaramillo, a film studies major, appreciates the interdisciplinary approach, she said.
鈥淵ou can be from any major and there is a professional application for that,鈥 she said. Through her minor in the program, she added, she has gained a broader perspective: 鈥淚f you think about something as an entrepreneur, you鈥檙e thinking about how to apply what you鈥檙e learning in class to the real world.鈥
Indeed, as entrepreneurship develops and expands its curricular and cocurricular programming, it is linking the College to what Feldman calls an 鈥渆cosystem of entrepreneurship and business.鈥
鈥淲e need to develop a lot of things for women in business,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he infrastructure for investing is very weak and small compared to investing in male-owned companies, and women need to start having a better network. We have to build that up. This is the place to start.鈥