S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 | 3 7 dents from underrepresented groups with the objective of learningmore about their perception of entrepreneurial opportunities on campus and their barriers to participation. Scott is earning her master’s degree in technical entrepreneurship after her participation in LehighSiliconValley during her senior year. This research will shape the way the institute designs opportunities moving forward as it makes fundamental changes related to access, equity and inclusivity. “R.I.S.E. is something that will foundationally change howwe do what we are doing,” Getzler said. “We think this work will be useful across many areas of student involvement. As we speak withmore students fromunderrepresented groups and learn about the reasons for their lack of participation, we can design for that.” Some of those reasons speak to the challenges that go along with being a first-generation college student, balancing a full-time job to pay for tuition, or seeing a lack of rolemodels in programs. One of themost compelling barriers Scott discovered in her research is that for some students fromunderrepresented groups, such as those who are low-income or first-generation, participating in Baker Institute programs feels like a step outside of their core goals: good grades, a degree and a steady job after graduation. FOLI -Q A DREAM COME TRUE Karim came up with the idea for Foli-Q her sophomore year at Lehigh when students in her entrepreneurship class were tasked with developing a venture project. She first pitched her idea at EUREKA! in February 2020 and officially launched her business that April. Karim didn’t have the confidence to pitch her idea until taking entrepreneurship classes at Lehigh. It was through those classes that she also learned about the Baker Institute and its EUREKA! Venture Program and pitch nights. Before taking the classes, Karim said, she dealt with “imposter syndrome,” or feelings of self-doubt despite her level of education and experience. “The funding fromEUREKA! pitch competitions has helped a lot, but so has the guidance,” she said. After every monthly pitch night, each presenter has an opportunity to become connected with a mentor for guidance on their proposed ideas. Karim went on to win the EUREKA! program’s Michael W. Levin ’87 Advanced Technology Award, given to an engineering student for developing new technologies, and the R.K. Laros Foundation Endowed Prize for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation, to recognize students who have participated in Baker Institute programs and demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit. Karim was also a finalist for the Joan F. and John M. Thalheimer ’55 Grand Prize. Since Karim’s business launched in April 2020, she has sold more than 1,400 orders of Foli-Q. Lisa Getzler, right, listens to a student presentation during a recent EUREKA! Venture Program Pitch Night. During pitch nights, students present business ideas to a panel of reviewers, with the opportunity to win resources to get their ideas off the ground. Sareena Karim ’22 in the lab mixing ingredients for her custom hair care company, Foli-Q. Karim first pitched her idea at EUREKA! in 2020. REFLECTIONS ON CONFIDENCE, SKILLS AND A POWERFUL NETWORK It was ultimately a boost in confidence that helped many Baker participants get their ideas off the ground, including Eve Freed ’21, an IDEAS major who said participating in Baker was transformational for her. “It instilled a lot of confidence inme that I haven’t had before,” Freed said. “When we talk about the difference betweenmen and women being involved, I think the big push that’s needed is confidence, and that’s what Baker gaveme.” During her sophomore and junior years, Freed participated in “The Hatchery,” an immersive summer learning experience where participants apply designthinking and learn startupmethods to develop solutions and test potential business ideas. In her junior year she also participated in LehighSiliconValley. Through her experiences, Freed realized she wanted a job on theWest Coast, and with the connections shemade through LehighSiliconValley, she was able to land a position as marketing programmanager at VMware, a cloud computing and virtualization technology company in Palo Alto. “A lot ofmy time at Baker was about exposure to greatminds and exposure to a lot of different successful people, bothmen andwomen, but also a lot of it was about building confidence,” Freed said. In the future, Freed would like to seemore LGBTQ business owners featured. She also likes the idea of including entrepreneurs whose ideas focus on social justice issues and climate change. Briana Gardell ’14 ’15G, the creator of Goblies throwable paintballs, was the 2015 winner of the Thalheimer Grand Prize. The EUREKA! competition not only helped with funding, but also connected Gardell with her former mentor, Lehigh alumna Alita Friedman ’87. Gardell, who majored in business information systems with a minor in entrepreneurship, went on to earn a technical entrepreneurship master’s. She always wanted to start a business and developed the idea for Goblies while attempting to make an egg out of soap during a graduate school homework assignment exploring manufacturing techniques. Gardell met a lot of women leaders and entrepreneurs through Baker’s offerings and was grateful for the experience.
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