“This program has shown me how important it is to be organized because it’s so massive,” said Cintron, a Bronx native majoring in finance.

That program is the Gabelli School’s Corporate Communications High School Pipeline Program, begun six years ago to help students from underrepresented groups enroll at Fordham or comparable schools, thereby increasing their presence in university classrooms and in the world of business.

Scholarship Support

A key part of the program is scholarships. As a student co-leader, Cintron receives the Gabelli Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship, established in 2021 to support students who, like Cintron, took part in the program as high schoolers and serve the program in administrative roles as students at Fordham.

It has proved to be a critical piece of his financial aid, said Cintron. “The scholarship has lifted a huge financial burden and created a sense of security for my mom and me,” he said. “I have so many opportunities and resources at Fordham, and to have lost those resources because I can’t pay tuition would be heartbreaking.”

The pipeline program prepares students for business school through mentoring, corporate site visits, a class on the Fordham campus, and a business class taught in the high schools by Gabelli School students to prepare the high schoolers for a year-end pitch proposal competition.

Over the past six years, the program has served approximately 300 high schoolers, and nearly 100 Gabelli School students have served in the program. About two dozen of the high schoolers are either enrolled at Fordham or have recently graduated, said Clarence E. Ball III, former director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Gabelli School, who founded and built the pipeline program.

Dramatic Growth

The program has grown dramatically, he said—since beginning in 2018 with 12 students at Cardinal Hayes High School, Cintron’s alma mater, it has expanded to six Catholic high schools in the Bronx and East Harlem. Because of that growth, Cintron was extra busy last year managing other Fordham students who joined the program as mentors and classroom instructors.

Thanks to a spate of alumni donations in recent years, the Gabelli School will soon be able to award scholarship funds to more students who, like Cintron, play leadership roles in the pipeline program, Ball said.

Leadership Skills and an Internship at Citi

As he looks ahead to his career, Cintron is grateful that being able to attend Fordham helped him land an internship at Citi this past summer. And his experience at the head of a high school classroom should come in handy as well.

“Leading a classroom is very transferable to leading any group, and just understanding how to get through to people, how to get the group back on track,” he said.

This spring, a dozen Gabelli School students learned what it takes to sustain a small business in a country where entrepreneurship is tied to recovery from genocide and civil war.

“Rwanda is a vivid example of the power of entrepreneurship and how it can change not just individuals’ lives, but can actually have a deeply profound impact on the whole country,” said Dennis Hanno, Ph.D., an associate clinical professor who created the course Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Rwanda at Fordham.

Hanno, the founder and CEO of IDEA4Africa and a former president of Wheaton College, has visited the central African country with students on similar trips more than 20 times.  He said entrepreneurship has been a healing force for the country in the 30 years since the 1994 genocide that killed nearly one million Rwandans. 

The class paired teams of two students with six businesses in and around Kigali, Rwanda. The students were given background information before they departed for the nine-day April trip, but it was the in-person meetings where they learned whether the business owners needed help with financing, marketing, or expansion.

Kyla Hill, a Gabelli School student pursuing an M.S. in management, and Jaden Chocho Anaya, a junior majoring in business administration, were paired with Gloria Girabawe, the founder of Flove, a social enterprise that hires single mothers to manufacture sustainable fashion accessories such as tote bags, laptop sleeves, and wallets.

Hill said working with Girabawe to expand her company’s presence in New York City and locate a local source for vegan leather was the highlight.

“I had a little bit of imposter syndrome because as a student, I’m thinking, ‘What could I possibly bring to the table for her when she already has a business that is pretty successful?’” said Hill, who graduated from Fordham College at Rose Hill last year with a degree in economics.

“I found myself asking Gloria, ‘Do you feel like you’re getting value out of this?’ And she very adamantly would say, ‘Yes!’ The encouragement that I got from her made me feel like I was helping to make a difference.”

For Anaya, the trip was her first out of the country, and just being exposed to a different culture was deeply moving.

“It really made me think differently about just the way we live in the U.S. and how people decide to take on entrepreneurship here based on the freedom to be able to experiment and innovate. In Rwanda, entrepreneurship and innovation are seen as more of a necessity,” she said.  

Anaya was also moved by Girabawe’s support of women who are abandoned by their families when they become pregnant, a growing problem in the country.

Girabawe said the fresh perspective the students brought with them was invaluable. Flove has been in business for three years and boasts 14 employees who manufacture 15 collections, so she feels she’s ready to expand to overseas markets like New York City.

“If I’m going to expand, then I have to really understand the user.  I can’t use the same insights of a person in Rwanda and think that it’s going to be the same as the person who’s in New York,” she said.

“They learned a thing or two from us, and we learned from them as well.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy is expected to add 1.9 million jobs in leisure and hospitality during the decade ending in 2031. 

A newly created master’s degree in hospitality being offered at Fordham this fall will give students a key into the fields of hotel operations, development, and management.

“We all experienced the pandemic when you essentially couldn’t travel, and it really is true that if you tell people they can’t do something, that’s the thing they’re going to want to do the most,” said Joshua Harris, Ph.D., director of the Fordham Real Estate Institute, who oversees the program.

“So we see a lot of demand for hotels and travel demand. There’s a lot of growth.”

Harris said the degree, as well as advanced certificates in Hospitality Investment and Development and Hotel Management, will appeal to people who are interested in managing hospitality properties, as well as those who want to invest in them.

Managing and Investing in Hospitality Properties

Offered through the School of Professional and Continuing Studies they are an obvious expansion for the Real Estate Institute, Harris said.

“Hospitality is one of those areas that is very adjacent to what we are doing, as it is essentially an asset class within the real estate world. It’s a very specialized business type of real estate, but it’s always been a natural extension,” he said.

The course selection reflects that connection. Whereas core courses include Travel and Tourism Studies; Marketing, Branding, and Public Relations; and Food Service Management, electives include courses such as Real Estate Valuation and Investment Analysis; Event Management; and Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability. Courses will be offered in person and online.

The certificates are geared toward someone who wants to focus more specifically on either the operations of a hotel or investing in hospitality-related businesses. In addition to coursework, students will have access to mentorship opportunities in the industry.

Not Just Hotels

Harris said he’s bullish on the field because the principles of hospitality can be applied beyond just hotels. Multi-family apartment complexes, co-working spaces, and even higher education institutions are approaching customers in the same way that hotels have long done.

“Hospitality approaches are embedded into more business and operations than ever. It’s going to be one of the biggest themes in a lot of businesses and how they actually manage this new world between online and impersonal services while also still keeping consumers and people happy,” he said.

To learn more, visit the Hospitality Institute webpage.

Anthony Ambrose, a junior majoring in business administration at the Gabelli School of Business, spent his break trying to see how many times he could get rejected.

As part of a Gabelli School of Business course called Innovation and Resilience, taught by Julita Haber, Ph.D., Ambrose visited numerous places around his hometown of Moorestown, New Jersey, with the goal of hearing the word “no” at least 10 times.

Could a local pretzel shop make him 500 pretzels in 10 minutes? No. Could he use a leaf blower inside a friend’s living room? No. He even asked an employee at Target if he could display clothes as a living mannequin. Also, no, but with a giggle.

“That was very uncomfortable for me. I even shed a tear when I asked for it because I felt I would be rejected. But before the Target employee rejected me, she smiled and giggled because I had that ounce of hope,” he said.

“I’ve never done anything like it before. It was pretty crazy.”

As part of her course, Haber required students to reach out to friends, family members, and strangers and make 21 bold requests that would result in at least ten rejections.

Because 7 in 10 new businesses will fail within three years, she said, entrepreneurs need to be accustomed to hearing the word “no”.

“Students sometimes have a hard time giving or getting feedback. They avoid a lot of confrontation, and they perceive the word no as negative. We need to strengthen them to be more capable to take no,” said Haber, an associate clinical professor.

“That is the foundation for entrepreneurship.”

Saying ‘No’ as Well as Hearing It

In a separate exercise, Haber pitched business ideas to students to get them used to the idea of saying “no” as well as hearing it.

“Students can have a really hard time both giving and receiving feedback. They’re very kind, and they avoid a lot of confrontation, so they perceive ‘no’ as a negative thing,” said Haber, who credited Gabelli School assistant professor Sophia Town, Ph.D., for the idea.

The exercises are part of an emphasis on learning five “discovery skills” described in The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators  (Harvard Business School, 2011), which students read for class. Those skills include associating, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting.

Sometimes ‘No’ Is Really ‘Not Now’

For Ambrose, the exercise was illuminating. Occasionally, the “no’” he was looking for never came, such as when he went to a local Wawa and asked if he could have a free cup of coffee instead of paying $1.89. The clerk told him to go ahead and take it. And when he asked if he could intern over the summer at a local real estate brokerage, the answer was more like “not now” than “no.”

“The woman at the brokerage took my email, and she said she would keep me in mind if any internship came up elsewhere at any other company,” he said.

“I thought that was pretty cool. Just because you get rejected doesn’t mean that you’re totally cut off from something; it could open up more doors down the road.”

The annual competition featured eight companies—four “general track” businesses and four social impact organizations. The Fordham-connected teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges and more than 200 members of the Fordham community during the event, where $25,000 was distributed among the winners to provide seed funding and support for early-stage businesses.

Al Bartosic, director of the Fordham Foundry, said that this was “the largest field ever—we started off with 186 teams.” Through the mentoring process, the field was narrowed down to the eight finalists that made an official public pitch.

General Track Winner

Mila Mend Inc., a women’s health company that provides community and “comprehensive solutions for women seeking to balance their hormones.” The company also features multiple social media platforms with more than 600,000 members.

Founders: Lucas Labelle, GABELLI ’20 and Camila Magnan

Labelle said that one of the key strengths of the company is the accessibility of its products.

“We provide access to reliable information, we bring science-proven solutions to market and we also innovate,” he said, adding that they work with two medical advisors to create effective products.

Magnan said the idea for the company came from her own experiences trying to treat PCOS and other health issues caused by hormonal imbalances.

“My voice was not being listened to by doctors and this is where my boyfriend came to my appointments—and having a male present, I finally got listened to,” she said. “Something that he says is, ‘This affects 50% of the population but also the other 50% that live with that person—this is as much our problem as it is a woman’s [problem].’”

“It’s incredible that a male committee of judges believed in a woman-focused product, and it just shows how the space is evolving,” Magnan said.

General Track Finalists

Second Place: Spike Cover, a magnetic product that covers the bottom of track and field spikes, founded by Anya Alfonsetti-Terry, a junior in the Gabelli School of Business

Third Place: Credentialed, a vendor that offers streamlined media credentialing services, founded by David Skinner, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business

Fourth Place: Libri di Lucciola, a dark romance publishing house, founded by Isabella Frassetti, FCLC ’20

Social Impact Winner

Alliza, a recruiting service that brings people with autism into the workforce and provides them with ongoing training and resources

Founder: Shoval Liel, who will be graduating from the Gabelli School’s MBA program in May

“[The recognition] means a lot; it means that we can help more people. And I believe that what we are doing is really changing lives for autistic individuals, which is something that not many companies are doing. We’re providing help and employment opportunities …. Think about how important and critical it is to have a job.”

Social Impact Finalists

Her Migrant Grounds, a coffee cafe and community-building space that enhances the work of Fordham’s Her Migrant Hub—a resource by and for women asylum seekers that provides them with access to health care resources. Her Migrant Grounds was born from the current group involved with Her Migrant Hub, due to the leadership of women activists Sara Tekle, Marthe Kiemde, Christiane Keumo, and Nneka Ugwu; and Graduate School of Social Work students Catilin Kreutz and Jake Schefer.

Kids Building Wealth, a Bronx-based nonprofit that provides financial education to underserved children. Founded by Olga Baez, MC ’05, GSE ’16

Tap Thread Count, a digital platform that connects designers, seamstresses, tailors, and dressmakers to clients looking for diverse clothing offerings. Founded by Babalwa Nogwanya, GSAS ’24

People’s Choice Winner

Credentialed, a vendor that offers streamlined media credentialing services,

Founder: David Skinner, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business

“The Foundry’s an incredible resource that has been there through every aspect of my entrepreneurial journey,” he said, adding that the process of participating in the Pitch Challenge was “exciting, fulfilling, and unbelievably beneficial.”

That’s the philosophy of Albert Bartosic, executive director of the Fordham Foundry, a hub where Fordham community members learn how to launch and grow their own businesses. 

Most people already use the skills required for entrepreneurship in their daily lives, including pitching new ideas and working in a team, said Bartosic. What most people don’t know is that we are all capable of coming up with the next big idea—and bringing it to life. In a recent interview with Fordham News, Bartosic explained how to get there: 

Answer three key questions: What problem are you solving? How is that problem being addressed now? And why is your idea new, different, and better? “Why are people going to change their behavior and take your solution, as opposed to the solution that they’re using now?” 

Narrow your market. “The least successful thing you can do is say that your idea is for everybody. This won’t be successful, at least initially. Focus on a market that really needs this solution and is willing to pay for it.” 

Present something tangible. “If it’s a product, you can construct something using a 3-D printer. If it’s a service, you can try offering it to people on a test basis. You could use a GoFundMe or Kickster campaign if you need some money to put this together.” 

Survey your target demographic. “One shortcut is to construct a three-question survey and share it with your social media followers. You might get a small response rate, but you’re going to start to gather some data. That’s going to tell you if you’re on the right track. But don’t just talk to friends and family. They’re going to tell you, ‘You are brilliant, and this is the best thing I’ve ever heard of.’ You really want to speak with people in your target demographic who are friendly-adjacent—willing to give you both time and honest, valuable feedback.” 

Learn from the feedback—and try again. “It’s an iterative process. Take what you’ve learned and try it again, adjust it, and keep trying until you either know that you have a product that makes sense, or you don’t.” 

Learn from the process. “The skills and tools that you learn through entrepreneurship—how to sell an idea, how to get people to work with you, how to build a team, how to deal with setbacks, how to stay resilient in the face of failure—will help you, no matter what.” 

Finally, you need to convince the world that your idea is worth investing in. Watch a brief crash course video featuring Bartosic and other experts from the Fordham Foundry—Associate Director Shaun Johnson and alumna and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Lauren Sweeney—on how to pitch your idea to the public.

Sweeney is the CEO and co-founder of DeliverZero, a service that makes it easy for restaurants and grocers to offer customers the option to order in returnable reusable packaging, eliminating emissions and waste with every order. She’s also the entrepreneur-in-residence for the Fordham Foundry. Below, she shares five common myths about entrepreneurship.

Myth #1: Your startup idea has to be fully developed in order to launch.

Often aspiring entrepreneurs have a “really big vision of where they want to go,” but don’t have the resources to make that happen immediately.

“They’re like, ‘well I couldn’t start the next Uber for dog walkers,’ so then they just don’t start at all,” Sweeney said. “Whereas I think the best thing you can do is start in a smaller way that feels actually doable for you.”

By launching with a smaller product, Sweeney said, it allows them to get their idea out in front of customers and try different things before committing too much time and money. By engaging with customers early, she said they can learn more about the problem they’re working to solve in a timely manner and gain increased access to resources.

Myth #2: The first business idea is the best idea and never has to change.

Gathering customer feedback is incredibly important, Sweeney said, because it allows the entrepreneur to change course if they need to.

“The likeliest scenario—and this is the thing that really scares everyone—is that customer feedback is going to actually show you that you should pivot, which is a terrifying word for entrepreneurs, but also kind of the key to every successful outcome,” she said.

For example, her own business pivoted away from a “zero waste version of Grubhub” to a network
of reusable packaging that allows customers to access reusable packaging at all points of sale. This pivot
was due in large part to hearing customer feedback on how they would like to see the packaging waste problem solved in a bigger way.

One way for entrepreneurs in the Fordham community to start getting that feedback, she said, is to participate in activities and competitions, such as the Foundry’s Pitch Challenge.

Myth #3: All entrepreneurs are funded through venture capital or angel investors.

According to Al Bartosic, head of Fordham Foundry, and Sweeney, only between 1% and 5% of startups receive venture capital funding, meaning 95% of startups are not backed by venture capital funds. More than 70% of startups are funded through loans, personal savings, or friends and family, they said.

The amount of venture capital available to early-stage startups is also decreasing, according to Sweeney, particularly following an increase in interest rates. Before 2022, many venture capital firms were deploying capital at a faster rate, often into businesses with little or no market validation.

“I think what we’ve really learned in the last few years is that venture money really should only go towards companies with some proof of concept,” she said.

Myth #4: All entrepreneurs are immediate success stories and don’t have to work hard.

Sweeney said that before FTX failed, its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried—who has been convicted of fraud—was seen as “this mythological creature.” But the failure “reset a lot of thinking about what it means to be an entrepreneur.”

She said now there’s more of an “understanding that you have to put work in and that there are no overnight billionaires—and a ten-figure net worth might not be what you’re looking for anyway.” From the outset, she said it’s important to outline personal goals and what fulfillment means, and then work to meet that definition of success.

Myth #5: Entrepreneurs have to develop their business alone.

While entrepreneurship can at times feel isolating, Sweeney encouraged entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to find community where they can. At Fordham, that can mean meeting fellow student entrepreneurs, guest speakers, and coaches at the Foundry.

“What spaces can you consistently show up in, just be welcomed in, maybe not even have to talk about entrepreneurship, but just be a human being near other human beings?” she said. “I think it’s important for entrepreneurs, especially because it can be such a lonely grind in the beginning.”

He’s also a self-described Swiftie.

”That’s an entrepreneur. Taylor Swift fits all the parts of my definition,” Hanno said, adding that her creativity and innovative thinking are just as central to her brand as the music itself.

According to Hanno, entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting businesses—it’s a holistic mindset that can influence how someone approaches anything they do.

“It’s about looking at the status quo and saying, ‘How can we do things differently to achieve even greater success?’” he said.

Rather than looking to solely benefit oneself, Hanno stresses that true entrepreneurship is all about finding a problem that needs solving, and tackling it in a way that is unique to you.

The Entrepreneurial Checklist

What makes a successful entrepreneur? Hanno breaks it down into four parts.

1. Act on Your Ideas

“There’s so many people that have great ideas. There are so many times where people say, ‘Oh, those are great ideas, I wonder who’s going to do something about that.’ The entrepreneur has to act.”

2. Identify Opportunities

“Seek ideas wherever they are. Figure out a way to take action that aligns with your own values and skills so those become opportunities for you. How does that map with what your community needs or wants? An opportunity for you is going to be very different from opportunities for me.”

3. Analyze Everything

“Sometimes people think the Elon Musks of the world wake up in the morning and say, ‘I’ve got an idea, I’m just going to dive into it.’ And I would argue that Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates—they’re not that kind of person. They actually do analyze—and probably their greatest skill is to be able to analyze quicker than you and I can, to look at the landscape and say, ‘If I do this, I have a greater likelihood of success than if I do that.’”

4. Find Your Passion

“In both my undergrad and grad classes, we spend three hours talking about basically yourself—‘What’s really important to you? At the end of the day, what do you think about in terms of what you want to achieve?’ I think that helps people to focus on their values.”

“When I was a college student, I didn’t spend any time thinking about it. It was maybe 10 years later, I really thought, ‘You know what’s really important to me? Education.’ That’s when I shifted my pursuit because I had identified what my passion was, so I’ve never looked back.”

Originally a marketing major, she also thought about going into fields like sustainability farming and fashion modeling before settling on finance.

Now a senior at the Gabelli School of Business, Abdulhussein hopes to combine her interests through Al Ameerat, her startup clothing brand that aims to empower women through modest and stylish fashion. Its debut collection is set to be released this spring with the aid of a surprising partner: Bratz dolls, the billion-dollar media franchise known for its outsized influence on youth fashion and culture.

“Nothing has gone [according] to plan,” Abdulhussein said of changing majors and landing her first big deal. “But it worked out.”

Abdulhussein has created eight original designs for women that will be modeled by select Bratz dolls and made available for purchase this spring.

Seizing Opportunities ‘in the Middle of the Night’

Al Ameerat’s initial rollout will focus on fashionable and affordable designs of the abaya, a religious garment commonly worn by women throughout the Middle East. Growing up between Tanzania and Dubai, wearing an abaya was commonplace for Abdulhussein. But in the U.S, she found limited offerings.

“In America, it’s very old style, traditional. But if you go to the Middle East…you’ll see such a big difference. It’s very flashy, it’s fun, it’s trendy,” she said.

Abdulhussein partnered with her friend Mira al Aqrabawi, based in Dubai, to collaborate on the business plan and manage operations on the ground.

It was an offhand comment between the two that sparked the breakthrough.

“I was telling her, ‘You look like a little Bratz doll,’” Abdulhussein said, conjuring the fashion-forward dolls of their youth. “And then I was like, ‘Wait, this is a great idea.’”

Abdulhussein did some research on the spot and messaged a Bratz representative for brand collaborations, emphasizing the opportunity to expand into a new market—modest fashion—while simultaneously demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion. She didn’t expect to get a response at all—let alone a few hours later.

“It was a happy accident that took off literally in the middle of the night,” she said.

Now she and her partner are finalizing their collection to prepare for their spring launch with Bratz.

From the Classroom to the Market

A global business major with concentrations in finance, business economics, and fintech, Abdulhussein credits her classes and professors for her ability to execute her idea so quickly.

“I couldn’t have told you anything about how finance worked before I got here,” she said. “It’s hard to forecast sales for a company that doesn’t exist yet. My analytics class was really helpful because I was like, ‘Alright, I have to make this balance sheet balance.’”

When it came time to finalize her pitch, Abdulhussein drew from hands-on learning experiences like the Gabelli School’s Consulting Cup event.

But Abdulhussein stressed that the ability to make connections was the most rewarding part of her experience.

“My professors put me in touch with good people. They taught me how to network,” she said. “Toy companies aren’t too scary once you’ve been reaching out to all these JP Morgan people.”

Employing Women

Abdulhussein still has big ideas. She hopes to sell out the first collection, donate a percentage of profits to a worthy cause, and eventually have a fulfillment center fully populated by women.

For now, she spends her nights on Zoom clutching pieces of fabric and trying to communicate her vision to tailors on the other side of the globe.

“You have to be patient,” she said, reflecting on the design process—and the path that led there. “It’s not always going to work out on the first try.”

Follow Al Ameerat’s progress on Instagram @ameerat.abayas.

“It’s amazing to be in a school that allows you to take advantage of being in New York,” Vilela said. “There’s something about the pace and person that New York attracts—it’s a driven individual who wants to be able to explore multiple interests.”

What she didn’t expect was that she’d get to explore a completely different interest as well—all while she made connections and secured a full-time position at Deutsche Bank.

Vilela, who’s a senior in the Gabelli School, said her background as an international student from Brazil helped inspire her to major in global business. But minoring in art history wasn’t something she saw coming.

“It’s one of the things that would have never crossed my mind if it wasn’t for the core curriculum,” she said. “Fordham is so good at giving us the opportunity to be exposed to and pursue disciplines we are passionate about. You don’t have to give up one over the other.”

After she took an introductory art history course, Vilela studied abroad at Fordham London, where she took a course on art and architecture. All the classes, she said, met in museums.

“It trains different parts of your brain,” she said of studying art history. “It wires you, in a way, to be very detail-oriented. Your critical thinking gets honed to a very sharp degree. It hones in a part of your brain where you’re constantly questioning things.”

From Art to Investment Banking: Asking the Right Questions

Vilela said she used some of those skills to stand out as when she interned at Deutsche Bank.

“Especially at a junior level you’re expected to ask questions,” she said. “I think the art history part my brain was incredibly helpful in that.”

Vilela will start as a sales, trading, and structuring analyst at Deutsche Bank following graduation. She credits Armani Nieves, GABELLI ’21, with helping her in the recruitment process. Nieves helped create networking events as a student, such as Finance Diversity and Inclusion Night.

“He mentors students from Latinx backgrounds into the investment banking recruitment process, said Vilela, who as part of her major is pursuing a concentration in global finance and business economics. “He connected me with Fordham alums who were incredibly supportive and helped me prepare for my interviews.”

Vilela said that she’s seen this level of support throughout her time at Fordham.

“Everything is so much smoother because everyone’s in it together.”

Business for Positive Change

Vilela also said that she appreciated the Gabelli School’s focus on business with a purpose.

“I got accepted into Ignite Scholars Honors Program—it’s for people who have a social entrepreneurship background who want to use business to affect positive change, which is very cool,” she said.

She also serves as an Angel Fund fellow at the Fordham Angel Fund, where she works to connect with Fordham entrepreneurs and vet their applications for funding.

“What’s cool about it is it’s not an undergrad club; it’s people from the Law School, MBA students, and undergraduates,” she said. “It’s also a really nice opportunity to learn from your peers—that’s what I love the most about it. You put a business student and a master’s in social work student and a law student together—the types of questions we’re asking these companies are very different.”