Supported by Silicon Valley CEO Ray Zinn, the first ZinnStarter Pitch Competition, hosted by the LaunchLab, gave aspiring collegiate entrepreneurs an opportunity to win cash to build their ideas into the next groundbreaking product or business. Winners included: First place ($2,500): Emma Adams, WVU animal and nutritional sciences major, and her business idea PetRecord, which provides universal medical records for pets in emergency situations; second place ($1,500): Cameron Keefe, global supply chain management major, and her idea ThermoRoller, which combines physical massage with temperature control to relieve sore muscle pain; and third place ($1,000) to the team of Austin Davis, Anne Byer and Emily Thomas, from the University of Charleston, and their idea Second Chance, a program that helps give active control back to people with quadriplegia and paraplegia.
Greeting Every Opportunity with Open Arms
After growing up in her parents’ business, Emmy Severs was inspired to start her own business halfway through her college career. As an entrepreneurship major, she leaned on her passions and creative skills, and launched a stationary company called Lemon Milk Paper Co.
Brite Ideas
The future’s looking Brite for West Virginia University alumni Lukas Thackery, Martin Craig Dombrowski and Nate Wimer.
A Refreshing Experience
Mason Harp is not only a Chambers College marketing junior, but he is also WVU’s Coca-Cola Ambassador. In fact, he is currently ranked 1st on the leaderboard for Coca-Cola Campus Ambassadors. “I am extremely excited to be working with Coca-Cola. The chance to add a Fortune 500 Company to my resume will help make me more marketable when applying for internships and other future opportunities,” Harp said.
Immersed in Indonesian
Jana El-Khatib, a Master of Business Administration student from Hurricane, West Virginia, was one of four WVU students to earn the Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Over the summer of 2021, El-Khatib got to study Indonesian, a language she became interested in after spending time living in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. She hopes to use the skills gained from the scholarship to improve her cultural competency for a future career as a healthcare provider.
Fashion and Finance
Interested in finance, but also fashion? You can do both! John Pineda, finance senior and fashion merchandising minor, attended New York Fashion Week this fall as a production coordinator. He had the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes to put on a show — everything from hair and makeup to seating, lighting, ticketing and security.