The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship at Ohio Wesleyan University has selected six sophomores for its 2019 inaugural class of Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars. The competitive program supports OWU students seeking to become the next generation of business trailblazers.[widgets_on_pages id=1]
Ohio Wesleyan’s 2019 Entrepreneurial Scholars are:
- Sophia Ahmed of Karachi, Pakistan. Ahmed is a Management Economics major and a Women’s and Gender Studies minor.
- Taryn Barnes of Pickerington, Ohio. Barnes is a Music and Business Administration double major.
- Katie Bischoff of Marysville, Ohio. Bischoff expects to major in Computer Science with specialization in Data Analytics and to minor in Business Administration.
- Amber Khan of Karachi, Pakistan. Khan is an Economics and Data Analytics double major and a Politics and Government and Comparative Literature double minor.
- Austin Plaster of Alexandria, Virginia. Plaster is a Politics and Government and Business Management double major.
- Jasmine Spitzer of Minot, North Dakota. Spitzer is a Music Education major.
“The Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars Program is for students who want to be entrepreneurial thinkers, whether that be within a corporation or on their own,” said Daniel A. Charna, M.B.A., assistant professor of economics. “The program will help Ohio Wesleyan students find opportunities, see and maneuver through the path, and have the mindset to bring their ideas to fruition.”
Once fully underway, the two-year program will enroll five sophomores and five juniors each academic year from all majors. As sophomores, participating students will participate in a special seminar class covering topics ranging from scientific method/problem-solving to critical thinking/strategic thinking/vision.
As juniors, they will translate classroom theory into practice, spending fall semester creating their own solution for an existing entrepreneurial issue affecting businesses, nonprofit organizations, or government agencies. During spring semester, the scholars will develop their own entrepreneurial venture – creating the idea, conducting market research, developing a selling proposition, and designing a business plan and/or marketing materials, such as an app or website.
The scholars also will complete an internship with an entrepreneurial focus and receive a stipend to help support their experience. In addition, they will benefit from access to the new Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University, a business accelerator located on the OWU campus and created in collaboration with both Delaware County and the City of Delaware.
The Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars Program was created with the support of OWU alumna Carol Latham, Class of 1961. She is the retired founder, president, and CEO of Thermagon, Inc., a custom manufacturer of high performance heat-transfer materials for electronic components. Under her leadership, Thermagon grew to sales of $18 million annually worldwide.
The Entrepreneurial Scholars Program is open to sophomores and juniors who have achieved a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Candidates interview with at least one Entrepreneurial Scholars committee member and submit a letter of reference from an OWU faculty member.
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Woltemade Center at www.owu.edu/woltemade and more about the university’s Department of Economics and Business at www.owu.edu/economics.
