Ashley Hinojos is majoring in Business Management with a specialization in Entrepreneurship at San Diego State University. She grew up with a passion for entrepreneurship, making and selling her own jewelry at just 13 years old. She went on to create handmade products and sell them on Etsy. In 2012, she was selected to attend the Enterprise Leadership Conference of Silicon Valley, a three-day conference for young leaders designed to share and build leadership and entrepreneurial skills. At the conference, she was put into a team to create a product and a business plan in just 48 hours. All these experiences gave her knowledge and insight into the business world. Ashley hopes to turn one of her passions she has for health, photography, and languages into a business one day. She is currently in the process of learning Arabic, Spanish, and American Sign Language to strengthen her business communication skills. She is excited to learn from and take part in the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program and use this experience to help her start a business in the future.

Yaniv Fishel is a third-year student in the College of Business Administration, majoring in Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. Born in San Diego, Yaniv participated in the martial arts and various music programs at a young age. From these experiences, Yaniv learned the importance of intensity, focus, determination, and creativity, skills that enabled him to pursue his goals. Yaniv’s vision paid off when, at 16, he arranged for his music to be distributed to music platforms such as iTunes, Napster, and Rhapsody. As his time in the music industry progressed, Yaniv branched out in the music industry, where he began composing music for multiple short documentaries for Kawasaki and the MTV show Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory. Inspired by his past successes, Yaniv remains dedicated to becoming a serial entrepreneur who introduces revolutionary ideas that make their mark in the world.

From a young age, Domonic Purpura has always been an entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Wazood, an online exchange marketplace which provides students with a platform to find textbooks, housing, furniture and more in one centralized place. His company allows students to buy, sell, find and trade anything on their campus. Purpura’s objective is to consistently innovate Wazood, creating a social platform for students to understand, love and utilize regularly. He is focused on the students' needs by providing them a place to diversify major aspects of college. In addition to business, he was an avid trader of equities as well as a two time California State Baseball Champion, one time National Champion and the MVP of the 2015 California State Tournament. This year, he is joining new student and baseball player at SDSU seeking opportunities to expand his business and make new connections.

Dylan Kirchhofer is a deep thinker with innovative ideas. His sales and marketing experience have been primarily internet based with profitable success. Passionate about the protection of the environment, Dylan continues to educate his peers on solution based ideas. He is a proven leader as captain of his basketball team and a team player in all aspects of his life. Currently a Junior at SDSU, Dylan applies his analytical mind majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Entrepreneurship. Also currently a USPA licensed skydiver, Dylan has a passion for living life to the fullest. He recognizes Entrepreneurship as a pathway to achieving his personal goals and making the world a better place for all.

Madisyn Prior is an email marketing professional and event coordinator for FieldLogix and the SDSU Lavin Entrepreneurship Center. She is most passionate about using “non-traditional” forms of marketing via gorilla marketing techniques or direct mail pieces. Madisyn is also well versed in public speaking, product development, and event planning. This past year she has spent a significant amount of time working with San Diegan startups, founders, and students to orchestrate events revolving around the business model canvas, hiring, networking, and startup advice. The number 1 item on her bucket list is to begin selling a product or service over summer in order to further understand the fundamental blocks of what it means to start a company. Madisyn is usually working and when she is not at the office, she spends entire days thinking of ideas/strategy at the beach or La Jolla cafes. Surrounded by a few nifty mentors, the Entrepreneur Society on campus, Impact Hub, and Junto, she lives by Jim Rohn’s quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Milad Hassibi is in the College of Business, currently pursuing a degree in Finance. Milad’s passion for entrepreneurship began at a young age, when in middle school he began buying electronic goods from overseas to sell to his friends and neighbors. Later on, he began to discover his deep passion for automobiles, especially classic and exotic cars. With his knowledge for a wide array of rarified cars, Milad began to buy and sell classic car parts and cars from his junior year of high school until the present. Upon ending his second year at San Diego State University, Milad has become a member of Alpha Kappa Psi: The Professional Business Fraternity, and also a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Today, Milad is currently pursuing his passion for cars, import/export operations, and finance. After graduation, Milad is planning to use the knowledge and skills he has acquired from SDSU and the Lavin Program to further his career in the world of business and entrepreneurship.

Eric Birkemeier is in his second year at SDSU and majoring in Television, Film, and New Media. Eric's passion for film stems from his love for action sports. He is very passionate about combining high level cinematography with skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing. At a pitch fest in his Freshmen year, he came in contact with a ShredLights poster in the Zahn Innovation center. After reaching out to founder Drew Page, Eric was contracted to build the website. His continued vision for the company has now landed him the role of Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder. His passion for learning and exploration of new endeavors fuels his entrepreneurial mindset. He plans to work for himself in the future, and continue bring new, innovative products into the marketplace.

Eric Jimenez Kearney earned his associates degree with magma cum laude honors from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. He is now in his first year at San Diego State University where he is majoring in finance and pursuing a minor in computer science. Eric is an avid traveler who likes to understand different world cultures. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Latin America. Eric's passion to understand how the global business world operates recently took him to Santiago, Chile in the form of an international internship. He was exposed to electronic invoicing models in Latin America and e-factoring transactions. Eric grew up in San Clemente, California where his enjoyed surfing and playing soccer.

Erica Mangione will be starting her junior year at San Diego State University as a Communication major with a minor in Journalism. Having a keen interest in fashion from a young age, Erica has accomplished a marketing internship with the international company of Versace. She is currently involved in an internship in the TV production world with an emphasis in televising sports and marketing multi million dollar homes in the Southern California area. Erica is ultimately driven by her desire to succeed independently as an entrepreneur, with the ultimate purpose of helping others through economic and philanthropic endeavors. Going forward Erica recognizes the importance of making a difference both on and off campus. When Erica is not on campus, you can find her running, hiking, or at the beach enjoying the wonderful San Diego weather.

Jack Doheny is a Mechanical Engineering major within the college of Engineering. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jack has spent much of his time in leadership positions throughout high school and with the Boy Scouts of America. As an Eagle Scout, he learned the value of dynamic leadership by example and with compassion, keeping morale high when critical thinking is crucial. His love for the outdoors and adventure paired with his technical knowledge of engineering gave Jack his vision to work in the outdoor technology industry. At San Diego State he has not stopped developing as a leader. As President of Sigma Phi Delta Engineering Fraternity, Associated Students Student Support Commission Representative, and active member of SDSU's 3D printing club, Jack has furthered his experience as a leader not only in engineering but also domestic and cross-communication causes. Jack has already begun an engineering internship at an outdoor tech start-up from SDSU and plans to launch his own product line of innovative outdoor tools before graduation.

Jacob Ory is in the College of Business Administration majoring in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. Originally from Chicago, Jacob spent his childhood living in different parts of the country which has given him strong people skills and the ability to adapt to change. He started working when he was 13 years old as a caddy. Jacob’s entrepreneurship skills emerged when he transformed his passion for sneakers into his first business. Since launching his business, Jacob has gained valuable skills, which he plans to contribute to future entrepreneurship endeavors. Upon becoming a student at San Diego State University, Jacob used his people and leadership skills while he was a residential advisor during his sophomore year. His future goals include launching his own start-up company using the skills and experiences gained from his studies at SDSU as well as the Lavin Program.

Jake Bedard is a Computer Science major with a passion for creating websites. In middle school, Jake developed an entrepreneurial mindset when he sold pop tarts to his fellow classmates, and has been a serial entrepreneur ever since. In high school, Jake started a non-profit custom pocket T-shirt company, while at the same time running his own podcast and blog for young entrepreneurs. Since then, Jake has leveraged his tech skills to do freelance web design while at SDSU, while also implementing internet marketing skills to help supplement his income with his own websites. In the coming years, Jake aims to use the Lavin Entrepreneur Program as a resource to solve large problems and make a lasting impact on the world.

Milovan Simic is a transfer student who is majoring in Management. He is always thinking and on the lookout for new and exciting business ventures. For him, nothing is more satisfying than the process of building up a business; his most recent business is an online luxury bedding store. Milocan is very excited to learn from professionals and meet successful people. His goal is to one day be able to support his family with a business he started.

Monique Offord is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree in the College of Engineering at San Diego State University. Monique enjoys designing and manufacturing engineering projects and music performance. She applied to the Lavin Program to expand her entrepreneurial skill set and network outside of the engineering field. As a member of SDSU’ Formula IC (Internal Combustion) SAE team, she developed an interest for automotive vehicles, predominantly, electric vehicles. Her interest in electric vehicles led to the formation of a Formula Electric SAE team at SDSU where knowledge of entrepreneurship and engineering innovation are a necessity to produce quality and efficient products.

Nathaniel Cohen is a junior at San Diego State majoring in Information Systems within the College of Business Administration and pursuing a minor Degree in Finance. Nate grew up in a Venture Capital household and witnessed his Father taking a small start up company public. This inspired the Entrepreneurial Spirit within him at an early age. He is looking to refine his deal making skills and gain experience vetting and researching deals involving other start ups. He attained a 3.7 cumulative GPA in high school while actively participating as a starting player on the basketball team. He also started a computer services business during his time in New York. He then advanced into the role of directing online marketing and data mining for a technology recruiting firm based in Pacific Beach, California. By networking with others who have successfully achieved these goals Nathaniel hopes to obtain the knowledge necessary to embark along the pathway of growing a successful tech business. Through the Lavin Entrepreneur programs he hopes to obtain the necessary skill set to make his dream of running a tech startup a reality. Nate looks forward to continuing to develop and grow as a Lavin Entrepreneur.