Lassonde Studios Residents for 2020-21

Welcome L5, the fifth group of student residents at Lassonde Studios! This exceptional group of students moved in for the 2020-21 academic starting Aug 18 – and they are starting a year like none other.

All students living at Lassonde Studios are encouraged to “live, create, launch.” This year’s residents will have a unique opportunity to develop ideas that solve problems and maybe change the world.

“We need entrepreneurs now more than ever,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the David Eccles School of Business. “The pandemic has changed how the world works and the challenges people face. We need entrepreneurs to help us get through this.”

The University of Utah is following strict guidelines to ensure the health and safety of students living on campus. They include social-distancing, required masks, isolation spaces, and more.

“There is no question we are in uncharted territory with this pandemic,” said Ruth Watkins, president of the University of Utah, in a message to the campus community. “It will take all of us working together to stay together.”

The new Lassonde Studios residents are ready for the challenge. They are a very ambitious and diverse group. Each was selected to live here after a competitive application process.

Here are highlights about the L5 group of residents:

• 59% male, 41% female
• 50 majors represented. A few of the most popular majors include entrepreneurship, computer science, games, marketing, management finance, biology, mechanical engineering. Many other students are undeclared and have chosen Lassonde Studios as a good place to figure out who they want to become.
• Freshmen to graduate students
• 31 U.S. states represented. Top states are Utah, California, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and Illinois.
• 5 countries represented, including the U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, Netherlands, and India.

One new group of students living at Lassonde Studios this year is the Lassonde Founders. This is a group of 31 active entrepreneurs who will be growing their companies while living, taking classes, and attending events together.

Clinton Bradt is among the L5 residents and a member of the Lassonde Founders program. He is originally from Uganda, a first-year undergraduate, and wants to study entrepreneurship.

“I was homeless, orphaned, and hungry,” he said of his past. “I had nothing, and in the eyes of the world, I was nothing. My goal is to give others the same opportunities I’ve had to liberate themselves from poverty.”

Stephanie Burnham is another student who joined the inaugural Lassonde Founders group. She is a first-year undergraduate from Park City.

“My purpose for joining Lassonde Founders is to grow and expand my personal goals, while working with like-minded students and advisors who share a common interest,” she said.

Many of the other L5 residents have similar ambitions. At Lassonde Studios, they have the chance to learn and launch together.

Lassonde Studios opened in fall 2016, and it has been recognized by many organizations and publications including “Fast Company,” the “New York Times,” and “Architectural Digest.” The first floor is an innovation space for all students, while only residents have access to the upper floors, which provide unique living and workspace.

Learn more about Lassonde Studios at lassonde.utah.edu/studios. The application to live at Lassonde Studios for 2021-22 will open on Oct. 1, 2020, and the priority deadline is Jan. 15, 2021.