s director of CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Entrepreneurship & Small Business Institute (ESBI), Associate Professor of Management Maria Ballesteros-Sola helps students discover their inner entrepreneur.
“Our mission is to nurture entrepreneurship in our students – many who don’t see themselves as entrepreneurs, but they are running these successful side hustles,” Ballesteros-Sola said. “They’ll say ‘I’m helping my parents with the family business,’ and I will tell them ‘You are being very entrepreneurial.’”
The ESBI marked several successes during the spring semester, not the least of which was winning an award at the New Venture Fair held at Cal Lutheran University in May. CSUCI Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) major Austin Dent won a $1,000 award in the “Startup for Good” category for a nonprofit he launched called CalThrive Community Agriculture. CSUCI was among 65 competing teams from local high schools and colleges.