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Undecided? It’s Okay

As a high school senior, I felt a lot of pressure to know exactly what I wanted to do with my life – it seemed like I needed to know where I wanted to go to college, my intended major, and what I would do after graduation. The only problem was that I could not figure out any of these impending questions. I had no clue where I wanted to go or my desired major. The whole process was so stressful and I wanted to give up. However, I was able to figure it out, and Grove City made it easy for me to discover my route. Below is my journey in how I discovered the right major for myself:

gcc shieldStarting out: Undecided

Once I was accepted into Grove City College, the next decision I had to choose was my major. I honestly had no clue. After getting advice from my parents and mentors that I trusted, I ended up starting my freshman year as Undecided. I appreciated that I did not feel judged but accepted for not knowing exactly what I wanted to pursue  in the future. They gave me an adviser, and came alongside me in the decision making process. One day, the chair of the liberal arts department even gave the undecided students a pep talk and some practical advice on choosing the right major.

Major 1: International Business

Once I was in some exploratory classes for a few weeks, I had a better idea of what I liked. I wanted to make a choice that would help me discover my true calling for the next four years. Luckily, it is not difficult to change your major, add a minor, or even add/drop a class. The goal of the College is to help students discover their calling, while making the process as easy as possible. So I decided to try International Business. I liked the opportunities and I interests gravitate towards international work.

The Right Major: Entrepreneurship

Undecided Major Studied Abroad
I even had the opportunity to study abroad in the Spring of my sophomore year!

Although I really enjoyed some of the classes I took in the Business Department, it did not feel right for me. Again, after some soul searching, prayer, and advice seeking I landed in the Entrepreneurship Department. I decided this in the summer right before sophomore year began. I was able to contact my new adviser and even talk with him over the phone before returning to school. He helped me handle all of the paperwork, and made the transition easy. The best news – I love my major!! It is a great fit for me.

The best common quality among the professors at Grove City is that they all want you to succeed. I am able to go visit with professors, ask them questions about a class, and leave feeling encouraged and cared about. Professors here look to make an investment in each student so they leave feeling prepared and equipped to do the work they have been called to do. So do not worry about coming to Grove City and having all those questions unanswered. It is easy to figure it out here!

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Visionary Speakers: Jake Loosararian

Not only does Grove City College have an Entrepreneurship major and department, but there is also a Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Entrepreneurship students are so blessed to have this Center because it connects us with great people and opportunities. One of my favorite activities sponsored by the Center is the Richard G. Staley ’62 Visionary Speakers Series. Each year, the college brings in some incredible people to share with students their wisdom and experience. This November, we got to hear from Jake Loosararian, a fellow GCC alumnus.

Jake’s Story

Jake graduated from Grove City College in 2013 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While at the Grove, Jake along with some friends participated in VentureLab, a program funded by the Center. VentureLab provides seed grants and coaching to help launch new businesses. Ultimately, Jake and his friends post-grad co-founded Gecko Robotics, Inc. His company uses robots to scale walls and inspect power plants. Gecko’s products save money, time, and human lives.

Shortly after Gecko launched, they were accepted to Y Combinator, one of the most respected tech business incubators in the county. Jake and his team were paired up with mentors, and were named the #1 Top Startup from Y Combinator’s Winter ’16 Demo Day. His company is fast growing, and currently innovating a space that not only has a monetary impact, but also changing the landscape of safety.

Major Takeaways

I found Jake’s talk to be insightful and inspiring. It is inspiring to see someone not too many years ahead of you succeeding and following their passions and dreams. Jake spoke about courage, and his story truly is courageous. I loved hearing how his time at Grove City prepared him for this crazy adventure.

Overall, I was encouraged by Jake’s talk. I’m thankful that my school sees the value in giving students the opportunity to learn from those a few steps ahead and pass on their wisdom.

Gecko, the company Jake co-founded is saving lives and making an impact.
Gecko is saving lives and making an impact
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Auto Care: A New Industry Partnership

Auto Care

Grove City College has one of the best Career Services Offices in the country. They have been repeatedly ranked in the top 20 for career services by the Princeton Review. One of the newest reasons Grove City College stands out is due to its recent partnership with the Auto Care Association.

ACA is looking to make a partnership with Grove City and seeks to hire GCC grads. Photo Cred: Ari Carter
ACA is looking to make a partnership with Grove City and seeks to hire GCC grads. Photo Cred: Ari Carter

About Auto Care

The auto care industry is a 300 billion dollar industry. It is the second largest market in the United States behind healthcare. The Auto Care Association is a representation of anyone in after-market care related to anything automotive. Recently, the college has made a new partnership with the Association, and the Entrepreneurship and Business departments are very excited about the opportunity to work with industry leaders in the classroom setting. Further, the College also had the privilege of bringing in a panel of Auto Care leaders during Grove City College’s annual Career Fair to share their wisdom with students.

 

 

New Course Offering

With the Auto Care Association signed on to sponsor a new course at Grove City called Supply Chain Management, students can expect a new way to explore a new industry. This course will focus on the logistics of managing a supply chain. Making this class unique is the simulation set for use in the course called “Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management”. The Entrepreneurship department is known for utilizing simulations like this one to provide students with practical, hands-on experience. As a student, I am looking forward to gaining experience and knowledge in this field, that I can use to discuss in an interview setting.

Auto Care Panel

The Panelists were gracious to spend some time investing in students at the Auto Care Mixer. Photo Cred: Ari Carter
The Panelists were gracious to spend some time investing in students at the Auto Care Mixer. Photo Cred: Ari Carter

One of my favorite events hosted by the Career Services Office is the annual Career Fair. This year, there were over 160 companies recruiting for internships and full time positions. After the Career Fair this year, the Entrepreneurship department hosted a panel of Auto Care leaders who shared information not only about the Auto Care industry, but also about tips for hiring and breaking into the industry. Personally, I was grateful for the opportunity to make connections with some potential future employers. It is awesome to see that my school is valued enough that employers want to make connections with its students.

Overall, this new partnership with the Auto Care Association is a huge win for the College and more importantly, for its students. Connecting students with a new industry and potential careers is above and beyond what the average Career Services Office might do.

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Samantha Weber: Alumna, Inventor, Trendsetter

Samantha Weber, Grove City College alumna of 2014, is revolutionizing the soccer recruitment process for colleges all over the nation. ProfilePasser connects high school athletes with college recruiters through a mobile app.

The mobile app allows scouts to simply check into prospective athletes’ events and exchange information. “I’m passionate about branding, marketing and creating more opportunities for female soccer players to stay engaged with the game throughout their careers,” Weber said. In 2014, ProfilePasser was named to Inc. Magazine’s Top 4 list of Coolest College Startups in America.

Next to startups, Weber’s passions gravitate toward sports and seeing the reward of hard work. Weber graduated in 2014 as an English major with concentrations in business and legal studies. Upon graduating, Weber published her first non-fiction book entitled, In a Hero’s Steps. After much positive feedback, Weber’s novel was requested to be turned into a screenplay.

Her inspiration for ProfilePasser was birthed out of her passion for soccer, which she played at Grove City College. “In addition to my own startup, I’m helping several professional players build meaningful businesses that create value, drive revenue and give back to the community,”

ProfilePasser is the LinkedIn for global soccer recruiting. The app incorporates clubs, college coaches and other leaders in the soccer arena through technology, education and data. ProfilePasser’s validity came in March of 2014, when their first athlete was victoriously recruited to the Club Champions League Showcase Tournament.

Three time Olympic Gold Medalist and 2015 World Cup Champion Shannon Boxx and Yael Averbuch have joined ProfilePasser’s team. ProfilePasser teaches players how to represent themselves in the best light and gives them every opportunity to be seen. Then it’s up to the players to perform on the field,” Boxx said.

Weber has guest spoken on WYTV Channel 33 News in Youngstown, Ohio and TechVide Radio on FM News Talk in Pittsburgh hosted by Jonathan Kersting.

On April 6, Weber visited her alma mater and spoke in numerous classes. Weber warned future aspiring entrepreneurs against three common mistakes failing entrepreneurs are making in the industry today: inventing undesired inventions, thinking too small and moving too slowly. Numerous students had the opportunity to hear Weber’s testimony where she inspired individuals to achieve their dreams by networking and sharing their visions.

Overall, Weber is a great representation of Grove City College’s pursuit of enhancing their student’s education to make a great impact in the world today. ProfilePasser is just one of the many accomplishments Weber has yet to achieve in her lifetime.

Profile Passer

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A More Specific and Relevant Education

GCC Offers New Majors and Minors

In a recent press release, Grove City College announced that they are offering new majors and minors in the 2016-2017 academic year.

In the Hopeman School of Science, Engineering, Mathematics, the Department of Biology will be offering three new majors including: Health, Molecular Biology and Conservation Biology. Counting for 10% of the student body, the study of biology attracts numerous prospective students annually. The three distinct majors are a repackaging of courses that already exist but are tailored toward careers in medicine, research and conservation application.

Dr. Jenkins, professor of Biology, states, “As a department we looked where our students were going after college and wanted to highlight certain programs that would better prepare them for graduate school or future occupations.” Out of the current 160 biology students, 10 have made a switch to the three new majors.

The Departments of Computer Science and Communications and Visual Arts are introducing a new minor in Computer Game Design and Development. Students who obtain this minor will be educated on the fundamentals of game design, development and critique. The Computer Science Department in conjunction with the Entrepreneurship Department will also be presenting a minor in High-Tech Entrepreneurship. This minor is geared towards students who have an interest in the technological division of high-tech spaces within companies.

Dr. Birmingham, chair of the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Departments, proclaims, “Both of these minors are multidisciplinary, allowing students of all majors to use there general elective hours purposefully and accessibly.” According to Birmingham, the departments initially collaborated in November of 2015 and both minors were successfully approved in December.

Under the provision of the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering, GCC is proud to present a Robotics minor to students interested in hands-on learning as well as practical design and programming. The Robotics minor equates to a capstone project for seniors. Those obtaining this minor will be educated on the integration of robotics in light of an ethical and Christian worldview.

Students also have the opportunity to achieve a minor in Medical Physics. The Physics Department is making a conscious effort to provide students with a minor that correlates with job interest in radiology, nuclear medicine and nuclear engineering.

Dave Tarnish, chemistry major of 2017, states, “The new Medical Chemistry minor helps prepare students who want to pursue the medical field get a more specific and relevant education.”

The Department of Political Science has recently added a Pre-Law minor. According to Dr. Stanton, associate professor of the Political Science Department, the Pre-Law minor will aid students seeking identifiable skills that the American Bar Association requires for those attending law school.

Stanton explains, “The minor involves courses in several departments that develop reasoning and logic skills, communication skills and some basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution, ethics and philosophy of law.” Dr. Caleb Verbois, assistant professor of Political Science, is the new Pre-Law advisor. In order to further assist students pursuing law school, Verbois is in current communication with lawyers of Grove City College’s administration, including President McNulty.

Students can learn more about these wonderful opportunities through flyers and postcards as well as digital marketing outlets including emails, phone calls and the College’s webpage.

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Grove City Students Enter the Shark Tank

Shark Tank Logo

Last year Sarah Klein, junior Communications and Entrepreneurship major, planned a Grove City Shark Tank for students to pitch business ideas to improve Grove City College. Sarah says, “The goal of the event is to garner student ideas and input on how to improve campus life because there’s no one more qualified to know student needs than students themselves.” Last year 30 teams and individuals entered Shark Tank. Ten of those teams moved on to the final round in front of the judges, students and faculty.

Grove City Shark Tank is based off of the television show Shark Tank which gives startup companies an opportunity to receive venture capitalist funding from big name successful businessmen, such as Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Daymond John and others, in exchange for equity in their company. In Grove City’s version of Shark Tank the students are competing for funding for their idea for campus improvement of $1,000 and personal cash prizes for the top three ideas. These cash prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third with an additional $50 bonus for whichever team is the crowd favorite.

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The winning idea, a campus improvement or event with $1,000, is put into effect! Last year the winning pitch was to purchase Spikeball sets to start an intramural league on campus, kicking it off with a large scale tournament last fall semester.

This year’s Shark Tank is on March 11. Grove City Shark Tank is taking the Grove by storm… or is it by sea? Anyways, the event is worth competing in and definitely worth attending. Grove City Shark Tank is growing this year by a considerable amount and more ideas are continuing to be entered. It benefits the college and the student body as a well, what’s not to love?

This is just one of the many events on campus that the student body has started and loves.

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Faith, Freedom, and Family

Faith and freedom are the founding principles that Grove City stands on, but after being on campus you’ll come to realize that it also stands for Family. Grove City seems to attract generations of students following in their parents’ or siblings’ footsteps. Why is that? What makes high school students want to come to the same college as their parents? I decided to talk with one of these legacy students to get some insight.

Family 2

Clifford Hovis ’16, an entrepreneurship major, knew at a young age that Grove City was the place for him. His career at the college started a little earlier than most of his peers; he attended Pre-Kindergarten in Pew Fine Arts. He talked about coming to various college functions with his parents while growing up, whether it be football games or Homecoming. Grove City was a family affair to Clifford, with his parents, sister, 1 uncle, 3 aunts, and various distant relatives attending the school. He describes attending Grove City as an old family tradition.

With so many members of his family that had attended Grove City, he grew up hearing stories about professors, the campus, Greek life, and other traditions. His father, Cliff J. Hovis, graduated from Grove City with a degree in Marketing in 1989. While his mom, Lynn (Johnson) Hovis graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1989. When the time came for Clifford to start looking at colleges, he knew exactly where he wanted to go. Much to his mother’s nervous dismay, GCC was the only school he visited and applied to! Luckily his parents’ nerves were calmed when he was accepted to Grove City in 2013.

Family 1

What does Grove City College mean to you?

It is a place where I feel like home. Grove City has played such a major role in the lives of my family members; it gave them a solid foundation to start their lives with. They are all so thankful when they look back on their time at Grove City, because of the things they learned and people they met. For my family, Grove City is their legacy and I hope to continue that legacy.

Why do you think Grove City College attracts generations of students?

Grove City is a conservative Christian school that instills strong values into its students. These students leave GCC and pass them on to their peers and family. People care here, what other school can you go to where your professors actually care about you? Grove City is like a big family, I can’t imagine going anywhere else.

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The Second Annual Innovation Club Christmas Party

For those who don’t know, the Entrepreneurship Department can throw a great party, as is evidenced by the success of the innovation club’s second annual Christmas Party at Beans on Broad. The party featured many key events, including games like Settlers of Catan and Bananagrams, a white elephant gift exchange, a chili cook-off, and of course an open tab that allowed students all the coffee and pastries they could handle! Throughout the night, more than seventy five students from all different majors joined us for an evening filled with holiday cheer and of course Christmas music.

beans

The beauty that resides in this party is hard to describe. It is the culmination of a semester of great meetings for the innovation club, and a time for the whole department, and those from other departments, to unwind from a crazy semester and enjoy each other’s company. One of the times that makes this party so great is that many of our professors and staff are able to come and play games with the students. This year, professor Howley, professor Mech, and Mrs. Stillwaggon got themselves into an epic game of Settlers of Catan against reigning champion Karolina Lagerquist. Additionally, the party had a chili cook-off featuring Chicken Chili and Buffalo chili made by professor Howley, and beef and bean chili made by professor Carson. They were all so delicious that it was impossible to chose a winner!

The party has been the brainchild of the innovation club’s board of directors (Logan Hammerschmitt, Karolina Lagerquist, Ben Che, and Jordan Jensen) for the past two years. The party takes a lot of planning, but the end result greatly exceeds the effort put in. There is little doubt that this event is one of the highlights of my fall semester here at Grove City College, and the party shall continue on for years to come.

For those of you who missed the party, experience it here! Here is a 360 degree video of some of the things that happened at the party!

https://youtu.be/CZX5Ppz3e0E

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Panera VP Blaine Hurst Speaks to Business Students

Panera food It may have been the cinnamon crunch bagels. Or the bonus points. But whatever attracted the crowds of students to hear Blaine Hurst, they did not leave disappointed.

Hurst, the executive vice president and chief transformation & growth officer at Panera and the husband of a Grove City grad, delivered a fascinating and lively lecture about the restaurant’s recent tech innovations. In the past several years, the traditional Panera has transformed into Panera 2.0, replete with kiosks for customized ordering, rapid pickup options and mobile orders.

Blaine Hurst

As the self-described entrepreneur in residence at Panera, Hurst has worked daily to “challenge the way we’ve always done things.” From his start with with fast casual restaurant chain, the VP has stressed the mentality of “innovate or die.” For most companies, innovation has simply translated to developments in mobile apps, responsive design and strategic use of big data. However, to Hurst, disruptive innovation requires a holistic view and transformation of the customer experience.

In his talk, Hurst delineated six lessons on innovation that have been instrumental to Panera’s success. These lessons included the importance of an unbound, focused team, the recognition that there is more than one way to innovate and the idea that innovation is a journey.

Panera has certainly seen the positive results of Hurst’s work. In May, the company was named the #1 brand of the year by Fast Casual. In 2015, it was also recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s top 50 most innovative companies. It maintains the leading loyalty program in its industry. But these accolades have not come without difficulties. When Hurst’s team first rolled out Panera 2.0, the websites crashed. And this was at a time when he was striving to get the Board to increase funding. But he fixed the situation by owning the problem. “Stand up with courage when you’ve made mistakes,” he encouraged.

students talking

Hurst’s final point was to warn young innovators to expect the unbelievers. Your “commitment can’t waver,” he said. As a leader, “if you lose your head, all others [on your team] will run backwards.” And in an original one-liner, Hurst summed up the difficulty of innovation: “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” But progress, as Hurst knows and Panera can attest, will never come without change.

To read about more interesting lectures like this one, check out the posts under the Neat Speakers category. 

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A Marketing Major’s Experience in GCC’s Elevator Pitch Competition

The Elevator Pitch Competition is an annual event at Grove City College. Students from all majors participate and pitch their own original business ideas. There are two categories in this competition: social and commercial enterprises. The event starts with a preliminary round to narrow the candidates to 10 finalists from each category. This year we had 102 students from all majors and years participate!

The judges question Foodini, one of many contestants, in the preliminary round of the Elevator Pitch Competition. Foodini must have had the right answers, as they advanced to the final round!

I took the opportunity to participate this year as a senior for the first time. As a marketing major, I have always been interested in entrepreneurship. This year I decided to take Entrepreneurship 101 and a requirement in the class is to participate in the Elevator Pitch Competition. To be honest, I was nervous. My marketing and business classes have been focused on strategy and marketing of existing companies and products. Now I was given the challenge of creating a unique business idea and the task to pitch the idea in 2 minutes to a panel of judges. I brainstormed, worked with my professor and finally developed an original idea. It was a great experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone.

My introductory entrepreneurship class is full of students from all majors so the ideas discussed are diverse. Grove City College gives you the opportunity to explore different disciplines which helps develop us into well-rounded students. The Elevator Pitch Competition is the perfect example of the collaboration of different majors on business ideas. In the finals, there was everything from an engineer major pitching a photography equipment idea to a political science major pitching a news aggregate website for millennials. All years were represented in the finals. It is a really unique opportunity at Grove City for freshman to compete with seniors. Although I am not an entrepreneurship major and do not plan on starting my own company, I appreciate the opportunity to learn new ways of thinking and the chance to develop my own business idea.

This year’s winners pose with their “big checks.” The first place winners took home $500, second place scored $400, and third place took $300.

The Elevator Pitch Competition occurs every fall at Grove City and it gets better every year! To learn more about entrepreneurship at Grove City College, check out their page!