Aspiring Entrepreneur Scholarships and Awards

Larry and Madeline Petersen Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship

Lawrence, '71, and Madeline Petersen have been supporting entrepreneurs on the San Diego State University campus for years. The Petersen's expanded their support with the introduction of the "Larry and Madeline Petersen Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship." The scholarship supports SDSU students enrolled in the entrepreneurship specialization or entrepreneurship minor.

The Larry and Madeline Petersen Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship provides substantial support to the upper division, full-time students, encouraging them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and learn how to transform their ideas and inventions into profitable businesses. "It is the right thing to do and the right time to do it," Mr. Petersen said. "The students should be able to control their own destiny in their professional lives. That is why it is so important for them to start gaining entrepreneurial skills while they are in college."

Mr. Larry Petersen graduated from SDSU with a Master's degree in Marketing. He is a founder and President of LP Marketing, a sales and marketing organization in California providing services to major consumer and professional electronics manufacturers. In addition, Mr. Petersen founded Bayview Distributing and Development. The Petersen's have been supporting and nurturing the Lavin Center's young entrepreneurs throughout the years. With their joint effort, the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center will be able to give the next generation of entrepreneurs not only the knowledge, but also financial support.

Scholarship Awarded:

• $1000

Scholarship Eligibility:

• Minimum 3.00 overall cumulative GPA
• Upper Division Undergraduate
• Full-time enrollment required (Undergraduate)
• Each scholarship award will have a value of at least $1,000
• Recipients must be participants in the Lavin Entrepreneur Program or enrolled as either a Management major with an Entrepreneurship specialization or as an Entrepreneurship minor

2024-2025 Scholarship Awardees:

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Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship

The Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship is a scholarship offered through the Prebys Scholarship Series. In a large gift to the university, Prebys donated $20 million for academic scholarship use and university improvements. A portion of these Prebys scholarships are extended to students actively involved in entrepreneur programs on campus, including the Lavin Entrepreneur Program and ZiP Launchpad. Unlike other scholarships, this scholarship is open to all class levels.

Conrad Prebys was a highly respected property developer and philanthropist. Originally graduating from Indiana University in Bloomington, Prebys moved to San Diego where he donated millions of dollars to San Diego State University. Most memorably, Prebys is the namesake to the Conrad Prebys Student Union. Prebys’ generosity and philanthropic work in San Diego resulted in the university conferring a Honorary Doctoral Degree of Humane Letters.

Scholarship Awarded:

• Award amount determined by the committee based on availability of funds

Scholarship Eligibility:

• Full-time enrollment required
• Involved with the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program or Zahn Innovation Platform Launchpad
• All majors are eligible
• All class levels are eligible

2024-2025 Scholarship Awardees:

 

Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship recipients

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Frederick W. Pierce Entrepreneurship Scholarship

Pierce ‘88 is a distinguished alumni of San Diego State University and real estate developer and investor. He’s dedicated his career to the support of students in higher education. Serving as the Redevelopment Project Director for SDSU while simultaneously serving as President and CEO of Pierce Education Properties, L.P.. Pierce studied finance and real estate, receiving both his bachelors and masters degree through SDSU.

The Pierce Entrepreneurship Scholarship is limited to students pursuing a major or minor in entrepreneurship and offers priority to students involved in SDSU’s entrepreneurship programs. The scholarship aims to energize entrepreneurial behavior in students through financial relief.

Scholarship Awarded:

• Award amount determined by the committee based on availability of funds

Scholarship Eligibility:

• Minimum 3.00 overall cumulative GPA
• Full-time enrollment required (Undergraduate)
• Eligible Majors: Business Administration with specialization in Entrepreneurship or Business Administration Entrepreneurship
• Eligible Minor: Entrepreneurship
• Preference given to students involved with the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center or Zahn Innovation Center

2024-2025 Scholarship Awardees:

 

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Aimee Carvajal

Jordyn Savard

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Jordyn Savard is a double major in Business Management (Specialization in Entrepreneurship) and Art with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. During her time at SDSU, she has participated in a variety of internships, organizations, and leadership positions. She has sat on the executive board for three on campus organizations, competed on SDSU’s Venture Capital Investment Competition team, and interned for a student-led startup. Next year she will continue working as an intern for the ZIP Launchpad and as an ambassador on SDSU’s campus. She will also be serving as the President of the Weber Honors College Student Society. Looking forward, Jordyn’s professional goals include further developing her skills, gaining new knowledge and experience, and diving deeper into the world of entrepreneurship.

Linda Solares

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Linda Solares is majoring in International Business with a focus in Spanish and Latin America and minoring in  French. She is currently a member of the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program, the ZIP Launchpad, and Entrepreneurship Society. Linda chose her major because she is deeply interested in entrepreneurship and the connectivity between different countries and cultures. She became fascinated with learning about and immersing herself in the business world during her years at San Diego State and beyond. She is now working on a project in the ZIP Launchpad Program aimed at improving financial literacy amongst youth across the country. Her goal for the future is to launch this company whilst continuing to learn, discover, and create.

Roan Weston

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Roan Weston is a 4th year environmental engineering student with a minor in sustainability. He is from the heart of Silicon Valley in Menlo Park, California. He is a member of numerous environmental clubs at SDSU including Green Love, Enviro-Business society, and the Climate action committee. Additionally, Roan is a member of the engineering honor societies, Chi Epsilon and MESA. Roan is currently enrolled in the ZIP Launchpad where he is working on his own company, EnviroCentric. His business specializes in helping establishments create a sustainable brand image through the adoption of green initiatives. Envirocentric.orgCurrently, he is doing research on bioelectrochemical systems and is the compost intern for SDSU. He plans to start his own research project on a phytoremediation system to degrade pollutants in wastewater. When not studying or doing research, Roan likes to surf, read/write, and photograph natural landscapes.

Sylvia Paredes

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Sylvia Paredes is a fourth-year student at San Diego State University majoring in Graphic Design and minoring in Marketing. She is drawn to most creative ventures regardless of how proficient she may be. When she immigrated to the United States during elementary school, she saw how her mother was empowered by creating and owning her own business instead of relying on others for employment. This inspired her entrepreneurial spirit selling drawings to students or creating crafts for mothers day to sell at the playground. But school did not encourage this way of thinking, and it remained dormant until now. Refusing to fall under a “starving artist” situation, she is pushing forward to have understanding both in the creative and business world. Being ambitious, she came in freshman year with many units just so she could take more classes and learn new skills. This ambition also went into constantly reaching out to people that would give insight into the world of graphic design and marketing, or give any sort of valuable guidance in general. This need to be both guided and pushed forward with like minded ambitious individuals led her to join the Lavin Program.

Anna Skulteti

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Anna is an international student from Hungary pursuing a BA degree. She is a member of various leadership groups and committees, including the student leadership committee, in addition to her work as an executive assistant and program coordinator at the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center. Her decision to leave her home country at the age of 19 was based on a desire to expand her knowledge and to make sure she had the best opportunities possible. In her startup experiences, Anna had a few quick failures, but she always learned valuable lessons and went on to accomplish more. During her audacious journey, she has developed an interest in researching and data analyzing, as well as in social entrepreneurship. In the future, Anna is looking to offer services as an entrepreneur to non-profit organizations and engage in developing solutions that directly address social issues. In addition, she plans to participate in descriptive, correlational, and experimental research.

Carlos Romero

He is a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship and Frederick W. Pierce Entrepreneurship Scholarship.
Carlos is a Senior majoring in Business Management with a specialization in entrepreneurship, and a minor in business real estate finance. He originally started out as an Electrical Engineering major at Boston University and took a different path along the entrepreneurial route, part of which sparked his initial move to California and eventually leading to San Diego for matriculation at SDSU. Entrepreneurship has always been his passion, and he views it as both a great opportunity and pathway for stimulating economic growth, employment and scholarship within our underserved communities when engaged with empowering intentions. Carlos is currently participating in the Zip Launch Pad program and exploring lean startup methodology principles for a passion project and potential business startup in the health, fitness and wellness space. His goal is to help create pathways to entrepreneurship and scholarship in both underserved communities and abroad.

Farrukh Malik

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Farrukh Malik was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and has recently relocated to San Diego to advance his education and future business prospects. He is passionate about technology and always found creative ways to implement it in his education as well as in his life. He started as a fellow at the Stanford Peace and Innovation Labs where he helped create an educational journaling app. He then went on to create a VR curriculum under the Moonshot’s program. He taught students how to build a computer that could support VR technology and then exposed them to various VR technologies such as Oculus and Vive to create an immersive learning experience. Farrukh always spent time to better understand technology by pulling it apart and reconfiguring mechanisms to make devices function better. As a self-taught phone repair consultant, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start a company that emphasized superior technical parts and unmatched workmanship. This transition to the business world taught him valuable skills such as incorporating a business, vendor negotiation, sales, marketing, and customer service. At the same time, Farrukh was introduced by his father to manage their property management business at a young age, thus, he comes from a family with a business mindset. He is currently completing his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management and specialization in Entrepreneurship. He has joined the Lavin entrepreneurship program to develop his interpersonal skills and to find inspiration for his next business venture.

Maricruz Carrillo

As a 2022 recipeint of the Conrad Prebys Endowed Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Maricruz is a 4th year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at both SDSU and UCSD. She is involved in various capacities around campus. She has served in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee for the past 3 years, served as the Graduate Student Association president and is one of the founders of the Latinx Resource Center on campus. Maricruz has always focused on being a mentor and inspiration to the future generations and uses her experience to support students on campus. Her research is focused on 3D printing of ceramics to be used as scaffolds for bone repair and replacement. After graduation she hopes to use her expertise in industry to develop novel ways of manufacturing bone implants and hopes to revolutionize the way orthopedic surgeons approach bone repair and replacement. She also has a high affinity to entrepreneurship. She is currently in the Zip Launch working on launching a company that offers pain relief for people in the comfort of their own home.

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Dylan Kirchhofer

The 2016 Larry and Madeline Petersen Scholarship in Entrepreneurship recipient is Dylan Kirchhofer. He is an undergraduate student majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Entrepreneurship. Dylan is also a current member of the Lavin Entrepreneur Program in the 2015-2017 cohort. The scholarship will assist him as he continues to pursue his entrepreneurship education journey. Dylan 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. Also currently a USPA licensed skydiver and skydiving coach at Sky San Diego, Dylan has a passion for living by the motto, “live life to the fullest”. He recognizes entrepreneurship as a pathway to achieving his personal goals and making the world a better place for all. His goal for the future is to become a serial entrepreneur and positively impact the world through his endeavors. “I hope to have a life filled with travel and exploration”.

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Ruth Tadesse

Ruth Tadesse was the 2015 Larry and Madeline Petersen Scholarship in Entrepreneurship recipient. Ruth Tadesse is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science and a current member of the Lavin Entrepreneur Program. Ruth expressed that she has always been attracted to the idea of pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. “I was drawn to the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program because I saw it as an opportunity to learn about not just one aspect of entrepreneurship, but multiple aspects,” said Ruth. “I have always been business oriented. Outside of the classroom, Ruth is an active member of the San Diego State University Entrepreneur Society and has a keen interest in Web and mobile app development. She previously worked for the Bioinformatics lab at SDSU where she helped develop an Android app that serves as a guidebook for marine biologists that can be found in the Google Play store.

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Raul Hernandez Ochoa

Raul Hernandez Ochoa was the 2014 recipient of the Larry and Madeline Petersen Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship. Raul is a student in the College of Business specializing in entrepreneurship and participates in the Lavin Entrepreneur program. His interest in entrepreneurship was sparked when he learned about SOLO eyewear, a SDSU student-founded company. “I was amazed that students can and were starting companies and creating an impact at the same time.” One of the most important developments for Raul came from the Lavin Program. “It has helped me to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur. I’m breaking away from the idea of having to work for someone else and instead I’m better at taking risks which has given me the confidence that I need to take a new product to market,” Raul adds, “It is an amazing journey.” In addition to his academic studies, Raul is also a member of the Entrepreneur Society, Education Without Borders, the Business Honors Program, and Mortar Board.

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Andrew Haines

Andrew Haines was the 2013 recipient of the Larry and Madeline Petersen Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship. Andrew Haines is a student in the College of Engineering at SDSU, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Haines is enrolled in Lavin Entrepreneur program, a member of the Entrepreneurial Society, and is involved in IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and AGC (Associated General Contractors) student chapters at SDSU.

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Scholarship Awardees:

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Past Scholarship Awardees:

2023 –  Sarah Ainsworth

2022 –  Anna Skulteti and Gwen Butterfield

2021  –  Mary Ainsworth

2020 –  Jacinda Molina

2019  –  Lobna Mohamed and Chanelly Laguna

2018  –  Tammy Nguyen

2017  –  Kathyrn Boyles

2016  –  Sean Pierce 

2015  –  Amy Checho 

2014  –  Alissa Thompson

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Michelle Gilman

Studying: Marketing 

Expected Graduation: May 2026

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Ron L. Fowler Award Recipients:

2023 –  Sarah Ainsworth

2022 –  Anna Skulteti and Gwen Butterfield

2021  –  Mary Ainsworth

2020 –  Jacinda Molina

2019  –  Lobna Mohamed and Chanelly Laguna

2018  –  Tammy Nguyen

2017  –  Kathyrn Boyles

2016  –  Sean Pierce 

2015  –  Amy Checho 

2014  –  Alissa Thompson

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