This semester at Transy we have had the honor to open the Center for Entrepreneurship here on campus directed by Mrs. Jeni Al Bahrani.
The center operates as a space where students can bounce ideas off of each other and gain knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship. Mrs. Al Bahrani describes it as a space that “encourages entrepreneurial thinking and innovation by providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for all Transylvania students to help prepare students for the Conceptual Age and learn to be agile while going through those career changes.” President Lewis and Mrs. Al Bahrani have talked a lot about this Conceptual Age that college students are living in, in which “the typical college grad will hold not just multiple jobs but multiple careers, and Covid has redefined what work means and [our] relationship with work.” The center has a space for students of every major and discipline to collaborate. Each and every major brings a different perspective and sheds a new light on ideas that others may have.
The Entrepreneurial Young Professionals meet every Tuesday from 12:20-1:15 pm in Campus Center room 118 and it is open to any students. This is a space where students “learn how to lead, initiate, recruit talent, offer viable and tested solutions, and have the confidence to pitch the right content to the right audiences.” for the rest of the semester and into next year, the center will “initially focus on engaging students with extracurricular experiential programs and events, including competitions, workshops, a speaker series, and opportunities to introduce Transy students to alumni, our campus community, entrepreneurs, businesses, and community organizations.” The office is also always open for one-on-one conversations and mentorship with students.
Mrs. Al Bahrani speaks a lot about having an entrepreneurial mindset and how that “allow[s] you to build something great that will push yourself to the limits to achieve big goals. AND this something great is YOU! This is a way of thinking that will empower you to overcome challenges, adversity, make decisions, and take responsibility for your own actions and decisions.” She encourages every student to get involved in the Center for Entrepreneurship, learn what it is, and start to make connections.
Throughout the rest of the semester, the Center for Entrepreneurship will be offering a couple of different events. On April 13th Brian McCarty, “co-founder of Bluegrass Hospitality Group, that houses Drakes, Malones, Aqua Sushi, and OBC Kitchen … [to] share his entrepreneurship story and the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur.” Food will be provided and the event is open to the first 30 students to register at https://transycfespeakerseries.eventbrite.com .
There is also a Green Pitch Competition being hosted on May 12 which is “a one-day sprint focused on ideation and creating solutions for a more sustainable eco-friendly campus,” this event is also available to any student and can be registered for at https://transycfepitch.eventbrite.com .
With the Center for Entrepreneurship being in startup mode Mrs. Al Bahrani is looking for a Summer intern (housing and credit offered) to help get the office up and running and assist in planning for next semester. For more information on this opportunity and any questions in general about the Center for Entrepreneurship please reach out to Jeni Al Bahrani at jalbahrani@transy.edu ! We are so excited to have this opening up on campus!
