Schulze Innovation Scholarship Awardees
Spring 2023
Quincy Anderson
My name is Quincy Anderson and I am from Perham, MN. During my freshman year of high school, Covid-19 interrupted everyone ' s lives and local businesses struggled more than ever With it being almost Easter time, I launched an original marketing plan with the local toy store and gift store I worked for to sell Easter baskets. The plan included strategic Facebook and Instagram marketing projects to promote local shopping during difficult times It was important to promote to our community that we could customize an unlimited number of baskets for anyone. Contactless ordering, over-the-phone payments, and lots of individual communication was key. I created and published a Google Form that next day and curated a variety of themed baskets for the different genders and age groups After publishing the plan, the company sold hundreds of baskets before Easter. I learned to market specific products, how to analyze sales within the marketing, and I also learned to market the trends to boost sales Most importantly, I learned entrepreneurship was what I wanted to do in my future. I hope to one day own my own retail business in the West Central Minnesota Lakes Area and also online. I am thrilled to be a Schulze Scholar and excited to see where the opportunities and challenges take me
Dhruv Bhinde
My name is Dhruv Bhinde and I am from Shoreview, MN. My entrepreneurship journey began in elementary school selling PC games to a friend Determined to increase my value, I sought out opportunities to help others and develop new skills I was a competitive badminton player and had some leadership experience, so I decided to become a coach. This led to an opportunity to volunteer in a managerial position for a local non-profit organization, Pawsitivity, which helps the community I am always looking for new experiences and challenges. I am constantly looking for new opportunities, such as a recent jobshadow opportunity at Kowalski's, where I was able to meet the COO and managers of different departments During the meeting, I was able to learn about their techniques for improving the business and gained valuable insight. In the future, I hope to expand my knowledge of business and gain experience in different industries. Eventually, I plan to use this to open my own business
Schulze Innovation Scholarship Awardees
Spring 2023
Smriti Datta
My name is Smriti Datta and I’m from Prior Lake, MN. At my core, I love to embrace creativity. Since early childhood, I have always been a writer (my grandma likes to tease that she still has a copy of my attempt at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 3). When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, my life came to a standstill. As an extrovert, navigating the newfound loneliness was tough. But I quickly realized that every adversity brings its own opportunity I set aside countless hours to write, creating fictional friends to keep me company. With the support of my family, I was able to publish my novel. I fell in love with the process of providing joy to young readers more than writing the novel itself I engaged with my community, ensured profitability with the right pricing model, and marketed the novel through the district, social media, and local publications. I recently published my second novel and am grateful to have leveraged all of my previous experience! The Schulze Innovation Scholarship feels like the best Once Upon a Time I could’ve ever written for myself. I can’t wait to begin writing my Happily Ever After as a #Tommiepreneur!
Amelia Ehlers
Hi! My name is Amelia Ehlers, and ever since I was a little girl, I've been obsessed with wearing mismatched socks. I'm a senior this year at Rockford High School in Rockford, Minnesota, and mismatched socks are still my thing. Fun socks aside, I have always believed that there is room for everyone to belong, and mismatched socks are my simple way of stating that we don't all have to match to fit in. Throughout high school, I have played three sports each year and I am one of eight International Baccalaureate diploma candidates at RHS. During my junior year, I started an e-commerce business called The Odd Sock Shop, where I sell fun and colorful mismatched socks Owning this business has provided me with a way to earn money for school, have a flexible schedule, and I can respond to my customers anywhere and at any time. I am very excited to be a Schulze Innovation Scholar. I look forward to learning new things, contributing to the amazing community here at St Thomas, and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.
Schulze Innovation Scholarship Awardees
Spring 2023
Liam Honl-Toledo
My name is Liam Honl and I'm from Portland, Oregon. Since middle school, I have been selling a variety of items, ranging from knick-knacks to snacks. However, it was not until the summer before my sophomore year that I began my first “real” business, which ignited my passion for entrepreneurship Given the opportunity to use free leftover wood from my father’s arborist business, I started selling firewood. With the assistance of my friends and a wood splitter I sold half cords and cords of wood to neighbors and customers from NextDoor and Craigslist During this experience, I encountered different obstacles that I surpassed and allowed me to improve the business's efficiency and profitability. In my junior year of high school, in my class Student Store, I created a business plan for my firewood selling endeavor Throughout this process, I was able to draft a full-scale version of my business and identified what actual expenses, direct costs and profit margins would look like in the Portland market. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a Schulze Innovation Scholar and am looking forward to being part of St Thomas's entrepreneurial community.
Logan Hoppe
My name is Logan Hoppe and I am from Hutchinson, Minnesota
My entrepreneurial adventure began during my sophomore year of high school when I started my own business, called Logan Auto Detailing. I taught myself how to detail vehicles by doing extensive research and viewing many YouTube videos For the convenience of my clients, I decided to offer mobile detailing services where I travel to their residences or places of work. When I designed a website and made my business presence on social media, I was able to advertise effectively. By donating my detailing services as a silent auction item for Relay for Life, I gave back to my community which is important to me. Having created and implemented my own business plan, I’ve learned that passion and a strong work ethic are paramount to success. I am very grateful and honored to be a Schulze innovation Scholar at the University of St Thomas I am excited to spend the next four years alongside innovative entrepreneurs in a highly respected entrepreneurship program.
Schulze Innovation Scholarship Awardees
Spring 2023
Jasmine Lota
My name is Jasmine Lota and I’m from Shakopee, MN Ever since I joined DECA in 11th grade, I wanted to be part of a team that created positive change within my community. In August of 2022, my two friends and I started and implemented a Chapter Campaign, which is when students use elements from the project management process to plan and manage their campaigns. We chose the Community Awareness Campaign because I felt strongly about spreading awareness about childhood illness and how it affects the lives of the children impacted We met and partnered with Children’s Minnesota during our eight-month campaign and all profits made and inkind donations collected were donated to the hospital. Within our project, we held several events and service projects, including hosting the first charity Diwali festival ever to be held at our school The Community Awareness Campaign is also the first time this campaign has been led by DECA students at our school, and we were thrilled to learn how our initiatives impacted the young ones at Children’s Minnesota. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a Schulze Scholar and can’t wait to further my entrepreneurial journey at St. Thomas!
Alex Morgan
My name is Alex Morgan and I am from Mankato, MN. I have always had a passion for starting my own business, working hard and helping others with my skills. During Covid I started a landscaping business and found that clients needed power washing to make the fresh landscaping improvements look complete I began my own power washing and gutter cleaning business in high school. I have always had chores around the house and farm and by far my favorite was power washing. I was able to expand my skill set to power washing more than just tractors and made a business out of it This summer I am working on marketing and growing my business. I love helping people clean up their curb appeal. I am very excited to be a Tommie and a Schulze Innovation Scholar! #rolltommies
Schulze Innovation Scholarship Awardees
Spring 2023
Grayson Spronk
My name is Grayson Spronk and I am from Prior Lake, Minnesota. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset. In middle school I was mowing lawns, shoveling driveways and reselling high end sneakers to earn some extra cash In high school I started a small business called Dock It Detailing Dock It Detailing is a mobile boat detailing business servicing the south metro, Lake Minnetonka and Brainerd Lakes areas. I came up with the idea in 2020 after helping clean our family watercraft and realizing how much work it was to clean a boat from top to bottom. I have now detailed over 200 boats, provided summer employment for a number of friends, met some amazing people and learned so much about what it takes to both start and grow a successful business In the future I would love to expand Dock It Detail to additional lake communities, and potentially even a brick & mortar location. I am truly grateful to be awarded the Schulze Innovation Scholarship and cannot wait to begin my journey at The University of St. Thomas.
Jesling Valle Rodriguez
I am Jesling Rodriguez, and I moved to Minnesota in 2018 from Nicaragua. I have always lived surrounded by small businesses created and managed by my family. For as long as I can remember, I helped my mom with customer service and administration at our little corner store in Nicaragua. At the age of 16, I began to investigate the personalization of items such as shirts, sweaters, cups, and many other things. This is when I decided to start my own business. In the first month, I made 40 shirts for a large company I soon had loyal customers who advertised my business. When I turned 18, I made the decision to add event decorating and personalized gifts, such as flower arrangements, to my business. In 2022, I helped my high school fundraise for the prom I collected more than $400 in one day in a school of just 100 students by creating a raffle for three personalized t-shirts from my business. I became better known in my school, and I practiced my sales and promotional skills. This year, I started taking my first college level business class at Saint Paul College I am also taking online customer service and sales classes. I look forward to continuing to learn about building businesses as a Schulze Innovation Scholar!
