The Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, a part of the Bauer College of Business, gives students the opportunity to grow business skills. | File photo
Ranked number one in the country for several years running, the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship has a lot to offer students with a drive to succeed.
This goes the same for Wolff student Monserrath Sanchez, a supply chain management and entrepreneurship senior.
Monserrath Sanchez is a part of the current Wolff class. | Courtesy of Monserrath Sanchez
Every student has a unique story about how they ended up in the program and Sanchez started when she went on an entrepreneurship trip to Panama with several students that encouraged her to join the program.
“They talked about the program and the wide variety of projects they got to be a part of through it, and it sounded so interesting to me,” Sanchez said.
The daily schedule for the program can be very intensive, starting at 10 a.m. and including a variety of classes and activities all the way until 7 p.m.
“I have classes throughout the day, including entrepreneurial strategies, values in leadership and entrepreneurial capital,” Sanchez said.
These classes go until about 2 p.m. Instead of wrapping her day up there though, Sanchez said her choice to double major and run her own company at the same time adds a lot onto her schedule.
“Because I double major, I have supply chain logistics after my regular classes, and right after that I have my Wolffest meeting and then my IP meeting,” Sanchez said.
Wolffest is an annual event that involves students running pop-up stands and competing to raise money for scholarships as well as student activities. Like the rest of the 35 students in the program, Sanchez is required to regularly attend organization meetings to prepare for the event.
She’ll often finish the day by checking on the status of her company. Sanchez also emphasized how much there was to balance on a day-to-day basis when it came to the program.
“One of my professors said that the program was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant,” Sanchez said. “There’s just so much to absorb. But everything I do I enjoy, there’s always something new to occupy your time”.
Sanchez also spoke about how hands-on the program is, including opportunities to go on field trips to businesses, meet notable business owners and network with a variety of mentors. Sanchez fondly recalled a trip to the “Love Handle” factory.
“That’s where they make the little handle you can hold on the back of your phone,” Sanchez said. “We got to meet the owner, he talked about his history and was open even to really personal questions about his life. It was really cool.”
Sanchez is a business owner herself, and she’s been running a supply chain logistics venture for the past four months. She mentioned how helpful the Wolff program was at making the intimidating process of starting a new business seem less scary.
“One of the things the Wolff center encourages is ‘Just do It’,” Sanchez said. “They’ll give you resources to get back on your feet if you need to, but they really want you to be brave and try something different because you never know what will happen.”
Recently, she made her first shipment of cars from Mexico to the Netherlands via her company, and she emphasized how grateful she was to the Wolff Center for helping her get to this place.
But even with all the impressive opportunities Wolff provides, Sanchez said her favorite part of the program has been the connections she’s made with fellow entrepreneurs.
“We spend so much time together,” Sanchez said. “Our class has really become a family. We’ll be up at 1 a.m. getting food while digging into market research, but we’re all there for each other. It’s such an incredible college experience.”
For those looking to apply to a business program, Sanchez recommends Wolff, and added how unique the program is.
“This program will give you so many opportunities you would never find elsewhere,” Sanchez said. “You’ll go through a lot of high-pressure points that will push you to really understand yourself. But it’s so worth it, and I can honestly say that WCE changed my life.”
