Pioneers profiting from Transylvania’s Center for Entrepreneurship
by John Frieldlein
This past May, the university dedicated the Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Hub, a renovated space for the relaunched Center for Entrepreneurship led by new director Kaelyn Query Caldwell. Located in Rosenthal Commons, the hub was made possible by a major gift from the family of Kim Siebers Cornetet ’81.
The center — which is helping Transylvania become a top destination for students interested in entrepreneurship — supports visiting speakers, workshops, classes, pitch competitions and more. And it instills qualities like creativity and innovation benefiting students in all majors.
Recent graduate Mlelwa Dieudonne discovered an interest in entrepreneurship through the center and developed a business plan for her new bookkeeping company. “I was just trying to brainstorm a couple of things that I could do with my accounting degree, and I decided on bookkeeping as a good first step,” she said.
Dieudonne pointed to how, in the liberal arts spirit, Transylvania encourages students to keep an open mind while exploring various career paths. She encourages incoming Pioneers to “try different things out.”
With access to the Center for Academic and Professional Enrichment, students can get real-world experience through internships and 100 Doors to Success mentorships.
Jackson Broecker ’28 learned valuable tips for his luxury houseboat rental startup through the center’s various speakers, including bankers and lawyers, and by working closely with faculty. “The center has been a great help to me in starting it.”
Broecker has also helped his fellow students develop their own entrepreneurship skills — and grow ideas into new businesses — as president of the school’s relaunched Entrepreneurship Club. He noted how the group benefits from the Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Hub renovations. “We actually have our own space now,” he said — including a good room for discussions with whiteboards on the walls.
The club has also fostered connections with local firms like Awesome Inc — a partner of Transylvania’s for Startup Weekend Lexington and a book giveaway.
Another major event sponsored by the center is the annual Makers Market where the school community sells arts, crafts and other wares around the holidays.
Nicole Herman, a recent Transylvania health and exercise science graduate with a passion for art, sold items like tufted rugs and miniature paintings on magnets at the Makers Markets. Events like these helped teach her what she was capable of achieving, and got her thinking of how she could complement her art business with something related to her degree like a personal training venture.
Plus, Herman learned the power of collaboration and getting to know people. “You might recognize someone, and maybe they have a partner at their booth and they introduce you — and then you’ve started a little web,” she said. “Networking has been what’s gotten me the farthest, for sure.” She worked with other vendors on things like marketing as well.
Herman also gleaned a lot from community guests who Query Caldwell invited to join her Intro to Entrepreneurship class for discussions on their business experiences.
“There’s only so much you can learn from a textbook,” she said.
President Brien Lewis reflected on the center’s benefit to Pioneers like Herman and its recent renewal.
