“There’s a lot of places that say, ‘Hey, look at all the things we’ve done.’ And then there’s �鶹ӳ����ý that says, ‘Look at all the things we’re doing,’ ” Sleppy says. “I wanted to be part of building the future.”

“I wanted to be part of building the future.” — Joe Sleppy

In his first year, he landed undergraduate research opportunities thanks to �鶹ӳ����ý’s , which offers students opportunities for career exploration and experiential learning in STEM the first two years of their college career.

In �鶹ӳ����ý Professor of Nanotechnology Jayan Thomas’ lab, the two partnered on the idea that would eventually become Capacitech Energy, where Sleppy has served as CEO since its inception in 2016 during his sophomore year.

Future-Proofing the Power Grid

Capacitech is a rapid response energy storage leader building high-power and space-conscious energy storage systems for an increasingly complex grid. Essentially, Sleppy and his team turn supercapacitor components into modular, plug-and-play systems that harden power infrastructure against power demand spikes, outages and equipment damage.

Sleppy explains traditional power infrastructure, such as generators and batteries, are like a marathon runner whereas supercapacitors are more like a sprinter. Modern facilities — like data centers that power AI — demand power 24/7 but also demand even more power than normal for just a few seconds. Ideally, both a sprinter and marathon runner are required. So, Capacitech’s products make it practical to form relay teams between the traditional infrastructure (marathon runners) and supercapacitors (sprinters).

“If we can use supercapacitors to complement batteries, generators, fuel cells and the broader grid to serve this demand profile that’s coming from manufacturing facilities and data centers, then we’re making the world a better place — economically, but also in terms of power sustainability and security. And I think that that’s very important,” Sleppy says.

They made their first commercial sale in 2022 to Red Bull and have been running full force ever since.

Built by �鶹ӳ����ý

The company was bolstered by many resources at �鶹ӳ����ý on its way to raising the $2.5 million it has so far through investors and federal research and development programs. To this day, �鶹ӳ����ý’s continues to house Capacitech’s operations with adaptable leasing structures, physical space, mentoring programs and community that have adapted to their needs as they’ve grown. This year, they’ll expand into new warehouse in research park, adjacent to �鶹ӳ����ý’s campus.

“The world is watching. Let’s use innovation and entrepreneurship to make it better.” — Joe Sleppy

“�鶹ӳ����ý encouraged me to think outside of the box,” he says. “�鶹ӳ����ý is an innovative university because they’ll ask, ‘Why not?’ I think I share the same philosophy with running Capacitech. Let’s try it. The world is watching. Let’s use innovation and entrepreneurship to make it better.”

In 2026 Sleppy expects Capacitech to announce new partnerships and pilot programs in industry. And they’re already engaged in mentoring the next generation of Knights with internship opportunities for students.

“Entrepreneurship is how the world gets better — whether it’s a nonprofit or a tech startup like ours,” Sleppy says. “By reducing strain on the grid and extending the life of critical infrastructure like batteries and microgrids, we’re making energy systems more resilient and accessible. That means fewer vulnerable communities at risk and more room for innovation to grow. It’s hard not to get excited when your work genuinely makes the world better.”

Joe Sleppy was recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Energy & Green Tech list in 2026.

Emboldened by a campus culture of exploring “what if?” and the university’s support system of expertise and resources to back them, five Knights who started their companies while they were still students are making undeniable noise in their respective industries — so much so that Forbes just honored them on its annual 30 Under 30 list.

The �鶹ӳ����ý engineering grads are recognized among peers from the likes of Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.

Joe Sleppy ’18 serves as CEO of Capacitech Energy, which is making supercapacitor technology practical by delivering plug-and-play, modular systems that eliminate power quality issues in data centers and microgrids responsible for downtime and equipment damage.

“�鶹ӳ����ý encouraged me to think outside of the box,” he says. “�鶹ӳ����ý is an innovative university because they’ll ask, ‘Why not?’ I think I share the same philosophy with running Capacitech. Let’s try it. The world is watching. Let’s use innovation and entrepreneurship to make it better.”

Mason Mincey ’23, Derek Saltzman ’23, Matthew Jaeger ’22 and Patrick Michel are co-founders of Soarce, which takes underutilized plant resources like hemp, seaweed and grass and transforms them into nanomaterials eight times stronger than steel.“We’re on pace to build what we feel is going to be the largest global nanocellulose production facility in the world,” Saltzman says. “And we are not afraid to say that and stand behind it. That’s a big dream, but that’s kind of what we’re here to do — make big changes.”

These grads all credit their rise in large part to the immense support and knowledge they gained from �鶹ӳ����ý’s and . �鶹ӳ����ý invested $10-20,000 of alumni-funded awards from the annual competition and UpStarts program to support their venture development.

“Capacitech and Soarce illustrate how investments in technology development and entrepreneurship education can work together to increase innovation diffusion and societal impact,” says Cameron Ford, William and Susan Crouse Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Blackstone LaunchPad at �鶹ӳ����ý. “They also illustrate the arduous, fraught, years-long paths that entrepreneurs commonly travel when no one is watching to achieve ‘overnight’ success. We are immensely proud of the example they are setting for current and future Knights by combining their disciplinary expertise with entrepreneurial knowhow to positively impact others.”

To learn more about how these Knights are putting in the work today that is shaping the future around us, check out their stories (with video) on �鶹ӳ����ý Today:

• Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Winner: Capacitech
• Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Winner: Soarce

They had been tasked in a semester-long class assignment to build a carbon fiber rocket that would successfully carry the professor’s payload. While their design may have failed epically — while being broadcast live on the internet — they noticed one very important element that turned out to be the spark for their future company.

“When we walked up to the rocket, we saw that the motor had gone through a 2-inch-thick steel plate, but the carbon fiber that we had made was intact and still super strong and actually protected the professor’s payload after exploding and crashing,” Saltzman says. “We said, ‘Hey, we’re pretty good at manufacturing this [carbon fiber] stuff.’ ”

They took it as a sign to change their majors from aerospace engineering to materials science and engineering, and the earliest roots of Soarce were planted.

Sustainably Strengthening Industries

Soarce is at the forefront of bio-based nanomaterials and seeks to solve society’s greatest climate challenges by leveraging natural materials to create products that can outperform those made synthetically.

Drawn from seaweed, hemp and elephant grass, their nanocellulose coating can be applied to and fortify carbon fiber structures — everything from hockey sticks to electric vehicles to rocket ships.

“That allows engineers to design parts that are lighter, stronger and more efficient,” Saltzman says. “For electric vehicles, they can now go farther. In the world of aerospace, we’re making those materials stronger so now you have more payload mass that you can put into space.”

Their innovation has so much promise it has already secured $3.2 million in funding.

“�鶹ӳ����ý is about dreaming big, going as big as you can. And that’s how we feel.” — Derek Saltzman

“�鶹ӳ����ý is about dreaming big, going as big as you can. And that’s how we feel,” Saltzman says. “We’re on pace to what we feel is going to be the largest global nanocellulose producer in the world. And we are not afraid to say that and stand behind it. That’s a big dream, but that’s kind of what we’re here to do — make big changes.”

�鶹ӳ����ý-Backed Entrepreneurship

Their entrepreneurial journey has gone through several iterations since Saltzman and Mincey were randomly assigned as roommates in during their freshman year. The pair dabbled in enterprises involved with agriculture and drone racing, cutting their teeth on the business side of running a company through resources �鶹ӳ����ý offers including the ’s .

To this day, they’re still partnering with the �鶹ӳ����ý ecosystem, utilizing the �鶹ӳ����ý Business Incubation Program’s Life Sciences Incubator in Lake Nona, which gives Soarce access to a fully equipped, Biosafety Level II wet lab to foster their work in advanced materials.

“�鶹ӳ����ý has really strong partnerships and connections to industry that allow you to funnel your idea from a lab-benchtop scale all the way to integrating into a Fortune 500 company to get that product off the ground,” Saltzman says.

Now, along with fellow �鶹ӳ����ý alums and Soarce co-founders Matthew Jaeger ’22, an actuarial science alum, and Patrick Michel, a former management student, they’re looking forward to expanding their operations into an 8,000-square-foot facility in partnership with Tavistock and heading into pilot trials with Fortune 500 companies.

“It’s really cool to see how far we’ve come, from an idea in a notebook that we started eight years ago to now within the next three to five years, we’ll have that material not only created, but actually being flown into space and amongst the stars,” Saltzman says.

The Soarce co-founders were recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry list in 2026.

�鶹ӳ����ý alum Kelly Shea ’23 understands first-hand the academic challenges some children struggle with in the classroom. After all, she was once one of them.

“School just didn’t make sense to me,” says the elementary education grad, who couldn’t read until midway through elementary school.

Those early challenges have been integral to Shea’s career path as an educational entrepreneur. They also fuel the “why” behind her mission to empower young students through her start-up business that offers invention education kits for kids.

Making Sense of School

Growing up, Shea recalls struggling in every subject, especially reading, during her elementary school years.

“I had trouble comprehending things,” says the 23-year-old, who has since written and published four children’s books. “My first-grade teacher, Ms. Shepard, was the one who recognized I was having problems. I met with her almost weekly throughout second grade for extra support. Things finally started clicking for me in middle school, but I struggled a lot early on.”

She got involved with a Tampa-area nonprofit called Girls With Confidence, which empowers young girls in developing positive self-esteem. As she got older, she began volunteering and taking on more leadership roles with the organization.

“I would come up with activities and games for their programming and realized that I love teaching and creating impact, like how people did for me,” she says. “I just loved working with kids. I wanted to help them find solutions to their struggles because I was there once, too.”

Shea carried that determination and creative, problem-solving spirit throughout her time in and leveraged it to create two businesses before she graduated. She credits �鶹ӳ����ý’s and as crucial resources that complemented the knowledge she gained in her coursework, ultimately fueling her career path today with Innovation Station LLC.

Connecting Education and Entrepreneurship

While taking the Careers in K-12 Education course with Cristina Sáenz ’22PhD — now an invention education manager for Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lemelson-MIT Program — Shea had her light bulb moment: She could bridge her passion for education with her entrepreneurship endeavors.

Invention education is a learning approach that challenges students through hands-on problem-solving. Shea often saw this play out during her internship with , where young patients face educational challenges due to injuries and illnesses.

“At Nemours, I saw how kids with cerebral palsy adapt things for their needs, and it inspired me because that’s what invention is about,” she says. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I create a series of kits for K-5 students that teaches them to go back to the basics of hands-on learning?’”

With that, Innovation Station LLC was born during her last semester at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Empowering Tomorrow’s Innovators

Through Innovation Station, Shea offers a series of four invention education kits that teach children to identify and explore problems, brainstorm and develop innovative ideas, build and prototype concepts, and practice their presentational skills.

Each kit includes a relatable storybook — written by Shea herself — as well as guided activities, worksheets, crafting supplies, and lesson resources for teachers. Even the packaging is designed to be used as part of the inventive process. With the final kit in the series, students cut off the sides of the box to make into a poster board they’ll use to pitch their product.

“They’re reminded that their product is a prototype; it’s not going to be perfect, and failure is OK because we can always fix things based on what we learn from it,” she says. “They learn how to communicate their brand with problem and solution statements. The books also cover easing those presentation nerves and learning to support your friends even if you’re competing.”

Prior to launching Innovation Station kits in July 2025, she conducted a six-week focus group with the Girls Scouts of Citrus Council, where she was able to test the kits with girls ranging from 4 to 12 years old. One 4-year-old invented a soft pencil because she was just learning to write, and regular pencils hurt her hand.

“It’s meant to teach them to be problem-solvers,” she says.

Since then, Shea has been promoting Innovation Station kits while also working in manufacturing, helping others bring their own inventions to life. She is piloting the kits this semester in partnership with fellow teacher education alum Chuck Burgess ’92. The kits will debut in nine Tampa-area elementary schools through local nonprofit High 5, Inc., which offers a variety of after-school and recreational programs.

“I took a chance on myself, and I decided that this is what I want to do.” — Kelly Shea ’23

She aspires to collaborate with school districts to introduce them into today’s classrooms.

“I took a chance on myself, and I decided that this is what I want to do,” she says. “I want to inspire and have an impact on the next generation and help create core memories by facilitating those light-bulb moments of, ‘Wow, I can be an entrepreneur.’”

To celebrate that rise, �鶹ӳ����ý Alumni has launched Ever Upward: Fastest-Growing Knight Businesses — a new annual awards program honoring Knight-owned or -led companies demonstrating significant revenue growth, innovation and leadership.

Ever Upward is about more than recognition. It honors how far ideas can travel, and reminds the �鶹ӳ����ý community that ambition doesn’t end at graduation. For Knights in business, the direction has always been clear: ever upward.

“Ever Upward … shines a light on Knight-led businesses that are scaling with purpose.” — Rodney Grabowski, senior vice president for advancement and partnerships at �鶹ӳ����ý

“Our alumni are building companies that are growing rapidly and making a real impact in their industries and communities,” says Rodney Grabowski, �鶹ӳ����ý’s senior vice president for Advancement and Partnerships and CEO of the �鶹ӳ����ý Foundation. “Ever Upward recognizes success and the entrepreneurial drive behind it. This program shines a light on Knight-led businesses that are scaling with purpose.”

Honorees will be recognized at a signature awards event on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, bringing together alumni entrepreneurs, university leadership and business leaders to celebrate remarkable achievements and share insights.

Inspired by �鶹ӳ����ý’s unwavering charge to reach higher, Ever Upward acknowledges businesses whose growth reflects perseverance and vision. Recognition is based solely on verified financial performance over a three-year period — spotlighting companies that are truly rising.

Eligible businesses will be ranked by their cumulative percentage revenue growth across their 12-month reporting periods for 2022, 2023 and 2024. To ensure the highest levels of transparency and trust, all rankings will be independently tabulated, so recognition lands exactly where it’s earned.

Applications for the inaugural Ever Upward awards open Feb. 3 and close March 26.

Unlike traditional business awards that are driven by nominations or subjective criteria, Ever Upward is determined entirely by performance data. All financial information will be submitted directly to Carr, Riggs & Ingram — the program’s official tabulation partner and a nationally ranked accounting and advisory firm — ensuring confidentiality and independent verification throughout the process.

Applications for the inaugural Ever Upward awards will open Feb. 3. Eligible companies must have been in operation since at least January 2022, meet minimum revenue thresholds and be Knight-owned or led. 

“Our alumni don’t just represent �鶹ӳ����ý, they extend it,” says Michael Harding, �鶹ӳ����ý associate vice president for partnerships. “Ever Upward celebrates Knight-owned and Knight-led businesses whose leadership and momentum mirror the ambition of this university and uniquely position them to build powerful partnerships with �鶹ӳ����ý.”

The application deadline is Thursday, March 26, 2026. Finalists will be announced in early summer, with full rankings revealed at the August awards celebration.

For eligibility requirements and application details, visit the .

For Keys, the recipe was a combination of many different ingredients: discipline, frugal living, tutoring, teaching, and entrepreneurship among them. It’s why he now spreads the wealth of knowledge he’s gained along the way through mentorship in both academics and lifestyle.

What began as pursuing his passion for education evolved into a startup online tutoring service, which made its debut at �鶹ӳ����ý, to continue the work he loves, all while co-running a lifestyle blog to inspire others to do the same. Here’s how he did it.

Road to Success

Keys received his master’s in science education through a resident teacher partnership program between �鶹ӳ����ý and Seminole County Public Schools. As part of the program, he worked as a local public school teacher for two years while earning his degree, an experience that he says shaped both his teaching style and entrepreneurial mindset.

He graduated debt-free with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and intended to keep it that way.

His path to success first began with years of intentional sacrifice. While he was developing his passion for education, Keys and his wife adopted a minimalist lifestyle, cutting unnecessary expenses, learning every strategy available to save money and committing to consistent investing.

Before their entrepreneurial journey even began, Keys and his wife had already reached millionaire status for themselves on their early-career salaries alone. The discipline that requires is something they now try to pass along to others.

“When I first started my career, I was making $38,000 a year,” he says. “My wife and I were determined to be financially successful regardless of our salaries. We developed this life philosophy of frugality and minimalism. Being happy with less and learning to live on less, money-wise. Even on those relatively low salaries that we started with, we managed to save and invest over 60% of our income our very first year having full time jobs because we lived really frugally, shared one used car and lived a small apartment, all that stuff.”

A few years into his teaching career, Keys shifted from the classroom teaching to private tutoring. He found success but ran into a new problem: the demand for tutoring services exceeded one person’s bandwidth.

“I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this to help more students and be able to charge them less.’”  — Steven Keys ’14MAT

“As a one-on-one tutor, you only have so much time to sell,” he says. “At one point, I was charging up to $200 an hour. I was turning away students because I had no more time. I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this to help more students and be able to charge them less.’”

Education Meets Entrepreneurship

Eventually the couple saved and invested enough to be semi-retired before embarking on their next journey: co-founding an online tutoring service. CramBetter is a 24/7 online tutoring service built to help college students through professional support with their courses, with an emphasis on tough introductory courses — especially in STEM disciplines. Launched in 2023 with �鶹ӳ����ý as one of its pilot campuses, the platform now serves students across the country.

Working with his wife, Lauren, and business partner, Marty Parks, they created a tutoring model that could reach thousands of students at an affordable price. Instead of traditional tutoring sessions, they curated a library of study guides, video lessons and practice exams they designed using their combined tutoring experience.

CramBetter focuses on the courses that Keys says most commonly “weed out” students in pre-health and engineering pathways — like chemistry, physics and calculus — and are often taught in large lecture halls with limited personalized support. It’s also available to students who wait until the last minute to study and cannot see a traditional tutor.

“It’s accessible 24/7, so if they’re at the library at 3 a.m., they essentially have a tutor with them,” he says. “A lot of tutoring requests come at the eleventh hour, when students have an exam the next night. That’s not the way that I recommend people study, but that is the reality for a lot of college students.”

Lifestyle Tutoring

Keys and his wife also co-run a blog and YouTube channel called “Trip Of A Lifestyle,” where they detail their personal philosophies and paths to success while providing free tips to help others achieve financially stable lives, especially through similar nontraditional or unexpected paths.

“Don’t let people tell you not to go into teaching because there’s no money in it,” he says. “There are all sorts of things you can do with a teaching background — not to mention that it’s a worthwhile endeavor because it feels good to teach. I have no regrets about going into teaching, even though I supposedly could have had a more ‘lucrative’ career in some other discipline.”

Through CramBetter and Trip Of A Lifestyle, Keys is now mentoring far beyond the classroom, serving as an example to students and educators that with persistence, planning and creativity, it’s possible to build both financial security and meaningful impact.

He hopes his story can inspire students — especially those studying education — who may worry about career limitations.

“We just try to be positive and inspire others to chase their dreams,” he says. “You don’t need a big inheritance or salary. You don’t need to win the lottery to start a company or do other things you dream of. You just need to be consistent with saving from whatever job you have. If you set your mind to it, you can make it happen.”

The Joust New Venture Competition is �鶹ӳ����ý’s premier startup showcase event hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in �鶹ӳ����ý’s College of Business and the Blackstone Launchpad. The event celebrates student entrepreneurs from various majors and all types of venture proposals, introducing them to community leaders and providing key resources to help launch their ventures. Competitors present their models for a viable business and compete to win money and other vital resources to pursue their venture. Previous competitors have gone on to appear on ABC’s Shark Tank and have launched successful businesses.

A panel of expert professionals representing corporate partners, area businesses and alumni will assess the students’ business plans. This year’s final judges will be Jacques Fu ’08, founder of PETE Learning; Kevin Miller, president and CEO of Addition Financial; Mark Norato ’91, vice president of North American Partners in Anesthesia; Michael O’Donnell ’09, founder and CEO of MOD Ventures LLC; John Paccione ’95, president of Red Horse Ventures; and Edward Schons, former president of the Florida High Tech Corridor and assistant vice president for University Relations at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Advancing beyond a roster of 16 semifinalists, here are the four teams competing in the Joust finals:

CyberColosseum Solutions

Team members: Harrison Keating, Noah Magill and Joshua Walsworth

CyberColosseum is a dynamic training platform that immerses information security teams in realistic cyber warfare scenarios. Facing simulations of real-world threat actors like those behind major breaches, a team can hone their skills in a custom environment that mirrors their company’s infrastructure. Unlike static content that quickly becomes outdated, this platform delivers up-to-date threats in a high-stakes practice setting. The mission: equip teams to defend against cyber threats and safeguard companies from becoming the next victim.

Emergency Insights

Team members: Aref Abdala, Sonia Alvarez, Javier Arocha and Julio Wall Chirinos

Emergency Insights revolutionizes hazard risk mitigation by providing precise assessments for both individuals and counties. For users, it offers insights into property risks, aiding in informed decisions about purchases and disaster preparedness. The annual hazard reports assist counties in strategic planning and resource allocation. Unlike existing solutions, Emergency Insights will provide up-to-date data, comprehensive coverage and user-friendly accessibility at an affordable price.

Unbound Disability Claims

Team members: Samson Lachman, Amanda McDonald and Alyssa Wilbanks

Imagine facing a shocking cancer diagnosis after seeking treatment for stomach pain, leading to job loss and financial strain. Applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) becomes a daunting task, taking hours to complete online only to be denied after months of waiting. Appeals bring no relief as savings dwindle, debts mount and health deteriorates. This struggle is all too common for 62% of SSD applicants. The solution: the Disability Claim Builder, which streamlines the process to secure faster approvals and much-needed benefits, much like what TurboTax does for people filing their taxes.

ZuLeris Interactive

Team members: Liam Etan, Jacob Noel and Zackary Zuniga

ZuLeris creates interactive electromagnetic warfare virtual training environments (VTE) to supplement live learning systems. In this constructive VTE, users can educate, train, and rehearse scenarios to accelerate learning and achieve superiority in their field.

Now she’s using her brand to empower others, especially women of color, through her new venture, Everything She Is Co.

Jones discusses how she has grown into an entrepreneur since graduating, important lessons she has learned along the way and how she’s leaving her mark on the world with her platform Everything She Is Co.

How did your college experience help you decide what to pursue after graduation?

I was a biomedical sciences major, which is not the path I ended up taking in the long run. I had always thought I would become a doctor. The longer I was in the major, I started realizing that I was not as connected to the field as other students, or had the same passion they did for it. I was trying to hold on so much because I told people this is what I was going to do, so I felt I needed to do it.

During that time I was also creating content and it was something that was a light when I felt those fears and felt like such a failure at the end of the day. Creating my videos was something that made me feel accomplished. I saw my following growing; people were actually resonating with these things that I was talking about. I talked about my college experience on my channel. I talked about depression and that confusion of not knowing where to go and opened up about what I was going through at the time and using that as an outlet.

In 2016 I finally let go of what I had been holding onto and allowed myself to pursue what I’m doing now. That time at �鶹ӳ����ý gave me the opportunity to get to know myself and to figure out what my journey is. My time at �鶹ӳ����ý taught me the importance of collaboration and teamwork. As a full-time content creator and entrepreneur, working with others is essential to my success. Luckily, �鶹ӳ����ý instilled in me the importance of valuing others input and perspective. I really appreciate it because I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have that experience.

How did you get your start into content creating?

My mom used to relax my hair. When I went to college I didn’t have anybody to do it. I didn’t want to do it myself because it’s not something that you should just try and do on a whim. I decided I was going to grow out my natural hair and embrace my curls. That was around the time where the natural hair movement was becoming really popular so I was documenting my journey and doing tutorials on how I would take care of it. It was mainly focused on natural hair. I took that route of empowering women in that way and encouraging people.

When did you realize that you had started something big?

At the time, I was just putting videos out there. I didn’t care about how many views it was getting. There came a point where I wasn’t posting as much and I wasn’t paying much attention to it and then I graduated. While I was job searching, I went back onto YouTube and realized my first video had 60,000 views. I had 13,000 subscribers from that one video. I was like what?! I said, “OK what video am I posting tomorrow? Clearly I need to keep it going because there’s something here that people enjoy watching and is adding value.” So I just capitalized on the time I had between graduating and job searching.

What does your hair say about you?

I feel like my hair says that I’m comfortable with who I am and who God created me to be. I think being able to embrace it as is says a lot about how I treat myself and how I can embrace who I am as a whole. At the core of it, I love who I am as a person inside and out. I used to straighten my hair vigorously and I used to damage it so much because I felt like I needed it to be straight in order for it to be accepted and for me to look pretty. For a lot of Black girls, having straight hair is associated with looking nice and presentable. To break out of that was revolutionary — that my ’fro is enough no matter where I’m going. I think that is still a challenge to some people. But just embracing it how it is, I think that’s powerful.

What have you learned along the way about yourself?

I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is to trust myself. Our parents and family are meant to nurture us into productive members of society. And my parents did an amazing job at that. But also I think there was a dependency I had on their approval and I think that the biggest thing I’ve learned with being an entrepreneur is I can’t base everything on the opinion of others. I have to trust my instincts.

You’ve started a new venture, Everything She Is Co. What is your vision for it?

I call it a lifestyle platform, and we are partnering with brands that align with our vision to help provide tools and a community to help young women feel seen. We have our digital community and Facebook group which is a sisterhood of sharing and leaning on one another. A lot of my community right now is young, minority women, so we want to provide the tools for them and say, this is from people who look like you and probably have the same experiences you can resonate with. I want to show women how to better take care and love themselves.

How do your guides and workbook contribute to your mission?

I speak a lot about my journey in my career, and that came with a lot of transitions in my personal and emotional life that I wasn’t necessarily prepared for. My self-love workbook was born out of that. It was something I used for myself because I just needed help unpacking the issues I was having and I did the research to figure out the questions I needed to ask myself to release some of the shame and guilt I was feeling. I want to give young girls the tools to grow into womanhood, and my self-love workbook is one of those tools.

We recently partnered with Révolutionnaire, [an education and action platform], to provide a free, digital guidebook, The Recharged Revolutionary, for community change agents to pour back into themselves. Fatigue and burnout are common issues in that line of work, and this guidebook is something that could help them think about how they can take care of themselves. We think that balance is important. I plan to partner with more brands to theme guides around different topics and provide more of these types of books in the future.

The OBJ commended the honorees for their ability to adapt to the hardship the pandemic caused for businesses, caring for their employees’ wellness over the last 18 months and for “going above and beyond, showcasing innovative ways to encourage business, employee and community success.”

�鶹ӳ����ý has long supported the spirit of entrepreneurship with resources dedicated to molding the nation’s next great business leaders — from a full slate of innovative classes to the university’s to the , which has facilitated smarter, faster startup growth for nearly 600 companies that has led to $2.4 billion of economic impact.

Meet the five alumni who were named among the CEOs of the Year:

Sergie Albino ’03

Degree: Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering

Albino is the cofounder of ecoSPEARS, a clean tech innovation company that is building technologies to help the environment. Albino is a former NASA contractor and aerospace engineer who worked at Kennedy Space Center on projects involved with the Lunar Rover, Mars Rover and International Space Station programs.

Clint Bullock ’95

Degree: Bachelor of Science in marketing

Bullock is the CEO and general manager of the Orlando Utilities Commission, responsible for delivery of power and water to 240,000 customers. Bullock was inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame in 2019 and currently serves as �鶹ӳ����ý Foundation board member.

Kaleb Harrell ’04

Degree: Bachelor of Science in finance

Harrell is the CEO of Hawkers Asian Street Food, which he co-founded in 2011 with fellow �鶹ӳ����ý alum Wayne Yung ’06. Harrell has been named on multiple 40 Under 40 Lists, and through his leadership Hawkers has been named a five-time Inc. 5000 winner, one of Central Florida’s fastest-growing businesses and among Central Florida’s Top 100 privately held companies.

Tim Keating ’95MBA

Degree: Master of Business Administration

Keating has worked at R.C. Stevens Construction since 1984 and was named the company’s president in 2007. He has been an active member of the West Orange Community for more than three decades.

Terry Shaw ’90MBA

Degree: Master of Business Administration

Shaw is president and CEO for AdventHealth, one of the largest faith-based health care systems in the United States. He began his career with AdventHealth in 1982 as a business intern and has risen through the ranks over the years, serving executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief operations officer.

New research led by suggests that engaging in recovery may help entrepreneurs reduce the negative impact of stress.

“Entrepreneurs who work really hard and grind on their business and who most need to recover, don’t take a break,” says Gish, who also has studied how lack of sleep impacted entrepreneurs’ decision-making ability. “That incessant grind, fueled by the autonomy that accompanies self-employment, hinders or hampers them from taking time to recover. This creates a tension between the good and bad associated with entrepreneurial careers, which leads to strange well-being outcomes. We’re trying to fix that.”

Gish builds on his previous research that documented the link between entrepreneurial well-being and the stressors that affect it. In this study, which was recently published in the scholarly journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Gish proposes recovery interventions to enhance entrepreneurial well-being.

To help entrepreneurs recover, Gish and his co-authors recommend three recovery-intervention categories they’ve dubbed the 3 Rs: Respite, Reappraisal and Regimen.

“Respite is just taking a break or pushing ‘pause’ on work. Reappraisal is changing how you think about stress,” says Gish, noting that writing in a journal can help someone understand how they look at stress or failure and then reframe it. “And the last one is regimen, just adding structure to respite and reappraisal.”

Gish recommends setting work aside, even for just a few minutes, to take a walk, listen to music or engage in other non-work-related activities. The study notes that even micro-breaks, which may span just 5-10 minutes, can provide physical and mental relief from stress, aid in recovery and boost productivity.

“If you’re always working and always on, that can impair recovery and eventually harm a host of well-being outcomes,” he says.

The study, a comprehensive review of the literature around entrepreneur well-being, stressors and their effects, also offers guidance on how entrepreneurs can reframe how they look at self-care and recovery, and then how to build it into their routines.

Gish joined  in 2019. Co-authors for the research are Amanda Jasmine Williamson, lecturer in Innovation and Strategy at University of Waikato in New Zealand; and Ute Stephan, professor of entrepreneurship, King’s College London, and Technische Universität Dresden.