Archive Posts
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South Africa to St. Thomas: Why This Fashion Entrepreneur Pursues an MBA
Business & LawBorn in Botswana and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jessica Khupe ‘26 MBA has family ties to the University of St. Thomas dating back to the early 1990s. Her uncle, Dr. Keith Bothongo ’92, earned both his MBA and master’s in international management degrees at St. Thomas before founding Bothongo Group in Sandton, South Africa,…
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From the Gutter Up: How A Young Entrepreneur Grew His Business
Business & LawMichael Fafinski ’25 is an enterprising young man. The University of St. Thomas alumnus who majored in entrepreneurship, launched a landscaping company at age 16. Now, at age 23, he owns a gutter installation business with plans to grow through acquisitions. “I am going to sell this business in a decade or so and leverage… -
Students Turn Ideas Into Action at Fowler Global Social Innovation Finals
Business & LawUniversity of St. Thomas hosts international student competition focused on solutions to the world’s toughest social and environmental challenges. Seeing discarded clothing clog up rivers in Ghana inspired Natalie Larson ’26 and Noah MacDonald ’26 to create change. That change led to these social entrepreneur students becoming finalists in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge… -
How New Product Tech Venture Program at St. Thomas Builds Innovative Leaders
St. Thomas 2025 - Promote and Leverage Our Comprehensive Academic ExcellenceEvelyn Truong ’23, ’24 MS grew up in Vietnam, witnessing firsthand the stark health care disparities faced by marginalized communities due to inadequate resources and technology. While the University of St. Thomas alumna aspires to bridge the gap in health care disparities, by one day creating solutions to make quality health care affordable and attainable,… -
Better Than Best: How Dick Schulze’s Pursuit of Excellence Fuels Entrepreneurship for All
Having celebrated his 84th birthday this year, Best Buy founder Richard “Dick” Schulze is living his best life. The former retail CEO and now chairman emeritus spends about a week each month at his 380-acre Caribbean resort on the island of Anguilla. But he is not there to vacation with white sugar sand between his… -
Celebrating Innovation: Winners of the St. Thomas Business Plan Competition and Fowler GSIC
The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business awarded over $30,000 this semester to students competing in the annual St. Thomas Business Plan Competition. The competition featured three categories: Business Plan (Undergraduate), Business Plan (Graduate), and the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, which supports social ventures. Participants… -
U.S. Bank Idea Jam Prepares St. Thomas Students for Career Success
Business & LawNow in its second year, the annual U.S. Bank Idea Jam, a collaboration between one of the biggest banking institutions in the U.S. and the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, showcases how partnerships between academia and industry can equip students with the skills they need to succeed in… -
Empowering Every Major With an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Business & LawAmid a celebratory atmosphere decorated with purple and white balloons, Natalie Larson stands outside the James B. Wolfe Alumni Hall at the University of St. Thomas. Months of preparation led her and her teammate Noah MacDonald to present at the Fowler Business Concept Challenge. Their company, Sole Shoes, aims to create sustainable solutions for footwear… -
Spirit of Innovation Blossoms in Class of ’28
Business & LawThe anticipation was palpable at the University of St. Thomas, where more than 120 first-year students gathered a week before classes started to brainstorm, design and pitch business prototypes at the Freshman Innovation Immersion event. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity for students to explore and learn about what it means to have an innovative mindset,” said… -
California Dreamin’ in Minnesota
Humans of St. ThomasVast fields define the landscape of El Dorado Hills, a small town in Northern California. Once central in the California gold rush, the town is home to Blair Horan ’26. Just like the 49ers before him, Horan is no stranger to the search for gold. While in high school, the California native started and ran…