When asked why she’s here at the University of Rochester today, Abigail Gonzalez ’16 will most likely reply that were it not for New Pathways for Youth she’d probably still be back in her hometown, Phoenix, Ariz.  It’s because of programs like this that troubled youths can beat the odds and attend institutions of higher learning like Rochester.  Gonzalez comes from a family of modest means, and throughout junior high and high school depended on the counsel of her mentor, Ellen Dean, assigned by the program. Dean would help her with homework, career searching, and networking.  A poster child for the program’s success, Gonzalez was invited to return to Phoenix in February to serve as a guest speaker at the organization’s annual breakfast.

The program has undergone several name changes in the time Gonzalez has been involved in it, both as a mentee and as a returning alumna. First, it was called Arizona Quest for Kids, was later named Phoenix Youth at Risk, until program administrators settled on New Pathways for Youth, taking out the word “risk” altogether.

It’s programs like New Pathways for Youth that allow bright young minds like Gonzalez to flourish and do real good in the world. Like many students at Rochester, she came in with the mindset of becoming a doctor, but also like many students, came to the realization that pre-med was not for her. Now a business major, she has aspirations to begin a foundation. Right now, she enjoys the small, personal, diverse environment of the U of R. Her favorite class is Spanish. She feels that in spite of her Latino heritage, she never really learned to read and write Spanish well, and now she has an excellent opportunity to change that. Gonzalez participates in several undergraduate councils, including SUBS and MAPS, and is an active member of PAWS. Around campus, you might run into her working at the counter at Hillside Market.

When Gonzalez returned to Phoenix, she represented both the University of Rochester and the influential program that got her here. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to learn that in 10 or 20 years, she has established a new foundation for troubled youth, coming full circle from being on the verge of trouble herself.

UR Entrepreneurs is an undergraduate club that promotes the development of new enterprises on campus and the Greater Rochester area.

The S.A. recognized group, which started in 2005, is part of the University of Rochester’s Center for Entrepreneurship and has the support of many community leaders. The group has recently revamped their focus to provide clients with increased technical assistance, such as mobile application development, website design, and research development.

President Jonathan Gonzalez ’14 explains, “the club itself is an entrepreneurial project,” and that being involved has helped him learn how to lead projects, manage money, and think outside of the box.

UR Entrepreneurs is currently working with on-campus nonprofits UR Uganda and New Sudan Aid to increase awareness of each group’s respective social message via marketing, business and website development, and branding. They also are working with Jonny Trade, a start-up online trading company founded by a Simon School student, to help them facilitate online trading.

The group is always looking for new ventures, and would like to become more active in off-campus projects.  Gladys “Gigi” Nickerson ’14, is the group’s venture development officer. She is in charge of developing new projects and identifying entrepreneurial ventures, and acts as a “program manager” to keep track of the group’s current projects. Members are assigned to a committee representing each client to ensure that they are advised in the best way possible.

Other main tools of the group include strategy and capacity-building assistance and marketing campaigns.  Ideally, Gonzalez explains, UR Entrepreneurs will help “firms that have potential for growth and are not achieving that potential, but as a result of working with UR Entrepreneurs will achieve that potential.”

Gonzalez, who plans on a career in “responsible real estate development” for low income families, explains that being a part of UR Entrepreneurs has had real world application. For him, the important aspects have been “exposure to the reality of getting things going” and exploring what “it really takes to have entrepreneurial, leadership acumen. You need to make sure your ideas and input are valuable.”

The group recently merged with UR Consulting, a group established as a functioning consulting firm in 2009 by Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year (KEY) student, Gemma Sole ’10. The merger made sense to keep UR Consulting sustainable after its founders left and to further empower UR Entrepreneurs with similar project and tools.

According to Gonzalez, UR Entrepreneurs have a wide range of academic majors; the executive board consists of economics, business, and math majors, and the business manager of the group, Phillip Sellstrom ’13, is an environmental science major. Gonzalez explains that the group has enabled students of different academic interests to “gain practical experience in the field of business and insight into how creating value is actually done.”

The group is always looking for new members and recently held a well-attended general interest meeting on Sunday, Sept. 24. In addition, the group is currently in need of an off-campus publicity manager to encourage entrepreneurial ventures in the Greater Rochester area.  The position, separate from the role of on-campus publicity manager, “allows for the best branding and marketing exposure possible,” explains Gonzalez.  Qualifications for this position include web development and web design literacy, an appreciation for media, and creativity. Those interested in the position or interested in learning more about the group should contact Jonathan Gonzalez at jonathanjamesgonzalez@rochester.edu.

In the Photo: UR Entrepreneurs Executive Board (from left to right): Philip Sellstrom ’13, Business Manager; Danny Sarmiento ’14, UR Consulting Executive Director; Daniel Wei ’15, Secretary; Jonathan Gonzalez ’15, President; Gladys Nickerson ’14, Venture Development Officer; Lin Zhang ’14, On-Campus Publicity Director.

Through Rochester’s TEAM degree program students receive a strong foundation in entrepreneurial management by taking courses through the the University’s Edmund A. Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business.

Natalie Yager Antal ’11S (MS), show in the photo to the right, accepted the award on behalf of the Center for Entrepreneurship. GCEC has a membership of 200 university-based entrepreneurship centers from around the world.

Article and photo courtesy of Natalie Yager Antal, Center for Entrepreneurship.

“The business major is a good fit for the College,” said Richard Feldman, dean of the College at Rochester. “It builds upon the curriculum and course work found in the economics major while allowing undergraduates to take advantage of the many opportunities offered at the Simon School.”

Feldman says that the College has seen increased student interest in a business major, which will provide an expanded selection of courses in economics and statistics, as well as business-related disciplines, including finance, accounting, marketing, operations management, and organizational strategy. Courses will be taught by both College and Simon faculty. Students will take nine courses required for the major, and then choose between two tracks; the first focuses on organizations and markets, the second on marketing.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the College to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to major in business,” said Mark Zupan, dean of the Simon School. “Our analytic, economics-based framework for solving complex business problems serves students well in an increasingly competitive global business environment.”

The major, which has been in development for two years, was created by Feldman, Zupan, Ronald W. Hansen, senior associate dean for program development and William H. Meckling Professor of Business Administration at the Simon School, and Mark Bils, professor of economics. It will be supervised by a steering committee of faculty and administrators from both the College and the Simon School, including Feldman, Hansen, Bils, and Sanjog Misra, associate professor of marketing and applied statistics at Simon; Joanna Shuang Wu, associate professor of accounting at Simon; and Michael Wolkoff, senior lecturer in economics. The steering committee will monitor the program’s enrollment numbers and course offerings, and oversee internships, special lectures, and other opportunities that can enhance the student experience.

The program will be jointly managed through the Multidisciplinary Center in the College and the Simon School. Students who complete this major will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree with a major in business from the College.

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