The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a top-10 ranked program at the University of Utah, awarded $330,000 in scholarships to 109 students for the 2020-21 academic year. The scholarships come with the opportunity to gain leadership skills and experience while managing many activities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The students receiving scholarships this year are very diverse. They range from freshmen to graduate students and are studying everything from business and mechanical engineering to dentistry. Find a complete list of scholarship recipients below.
“We are proudly powered by students who receive scholarships to be leaders in our community,” said Anne Bastien, program director at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “This year, our student leaders have had a unique opportunity to innovate and provide resources in new ways during the pandemic, and they have done a remarkable job.”
All incoming and current students at the University of Utah are welcome to apply for scholarships from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The priority application deadline to apply for scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year is Jan. 15, 2021. But students can apply at any time, and applications will be considered when opportunities are available.
Students receiving scholarships manage a broad variety of programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. They range from workshops and mentor sessions to a makerspace and high school outreach program.
“Our students run all the programs and services that a young entrepreneur could need,” Bastien said. “They do everything from showing students how to use a 3-D printer to awarding our regular microgrants to student entrepreneurs. Not only are our students receiving scholarships, they are also receiving live-changing experiences that will help them prepare for the future.”
One of the newest scholarship opportunities at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is the Erin Valenti Women in Entrepreneurship Scholarship. This was awarded for the first time for the 2020-21 academic year and is provided to inspire future female entrepreneurs.
Another new scholarship opportunity for all the students in the Lassonde Founders program. These students receive scholarships to live, launch ideas, and study together at Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation facility and dorm.
Abbie Eden is one of the students who received a scholarship from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute this year. She is an MBA student at the David Eccles School of Business and helps manage the Get Seeded grant program. “As a student leader, I have learned compassion and understanding,” Eden said. “Remembering that we are all here to learn and grow as individuals has helped me see the vision of sustaining and supporting others in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Another student receiving a scholarship this year, Kearsa Rawson is an undergraduate and music major and helps manage business plan and idea competitions. “Being a Lassonde student leader has helped me to learn public speaking, leadership, communication, event planning, management, and teamwork skills,” she said. “Through the Lassonde Institute, I have been able to discover what is important to me in my career and what I want to be in the future.”
Lassonde student leaders also value the opportunity to contribute to a thriving community.
“I love how everyone in the Lassonde community wants to collaborate and help one another succeed,” Rawson said. “Students come from all backgrounds and learn from each other while creating amazing ideas. Not only do students come together, but there are numerous alumni that are always willing to come back and help the current students.”
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The institute provides many programs and opportunities for all students on campus to launch a company, build a product, or join a team. Most programs are provided at Lassonde Studios.
Learn more about scholarship opportunities at lassonde.utah.edu/leadership. Learn more about the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at lassonde.utah.edu.
Lassonde 2020-21 Scholarship Recipients
Here are the Lassonde student leaders and scholarship recipients for 2020-21. They are listed by program or program group and then alphabetically by last name:
Company Launch
- Jake Peters
Competitions
- Meg Lee
- Suraj Ramkumar
- Kearsa Rawson
- Treyvon Sidberry
- Brad Wilcox
- Peyton Williams
Entrepreneur Club
- Ainu Kaufsi
- Brian Pham
Get Seeded
- Abbie Eden
- Kaylee Farnsworth
Hours with Experts
- Graham Austin
- Lauren Kleinman
- Jaxon Stuart
High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge Winner
- Jonathon Vizmeg
Lassonde Ambassadors & Mentor Program
- Gabriela Bernal
- Angie Deng
- Brenda Garcia
- Ryan Hamby
- Lauren Lengel
- Teasha Luu
- Tyler Luu
- Han Phuong
- Daren Thai
- Aditya Tiwari
- Andy Tran
- Cynthia Wang
Lassonde Founders
- Kyle Atkinson
- Ella Bachorowski
- Alexandra Beekley
- Austin Birch
- Clinton Bradt
- Brighton Brown
- Collin Brown
- Stephanie Burnham
- Nicholas Burum
- Owen Coonahan
- Burke Dambly
- Isaiah Delpino
- Riley Easton
- Andres Esparza
- Solomon Fix
- Molly Gallagher
- Matthew Gubler
- Quentin Hall
- Aleksei Hernandez-Nietling
- Sydney Hewitt
- Chase Martin
- Sean McKay
- Alexandra Miller
- Manya Nair
- Justine Nguyen
- Steffan Perez-Velez Solis
- Maximillian Porter
- Jason Snow
- Jacob Sunday
- Grace Tidwell
- Andrew Wang
- Isaac White
- Parker Zaharis
Lassonde New Venture Development Center
- Evan Baker
- Israel (Izzy) Beh
- Ben Campbell
- Niyazi Ekicioglu
- Kayla Goldberg
- James Hastings
- Olivia Kamisher
- Ashley Kennedy
- Kelsey Metinvier
- Brette Petersen
- Emily Pinnock
- Tyler Ray
- Sayed Abdullah Sadat
- Kathleen Stone
- William (Cole) Trier
- Sarah Waugaman
- Ryan Williams
Lassonde 400
- Sydney Myers
- Jason Snow
- Jolly Karungi
Make
- Jenna Cuene
- Benjamin Drown
- Sydney Enderson
- Diona Irwin
- Brian Landauer
- Zachary Lin
- Louis Livolsi
- Eric Marsh
- Chase Martin
- Cort Rogers
- Gnimdo Tako
- Cole Taylor
- Will Watkins
- Tate Weller
- Laycee Brown
- Toshiro Davis
- Jackson Dean
- Tren Hirshi
- Lauren Kochever
- Cole Laulis
- Josh Martin
- Sam Steele
Skills
- Christine Baczek
- Brianna Bernhardt
- Sam Dalton
- Gaurav Mishra
- Melissa Regalado
- Luke Sanders
- Andrew Tescula
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
