Great schools and training programs offer learning opportunities that go far beyond the syllabus. We asked some amazing folks from the community to share stories from their educational journey with us.

Kelly Bragg

Let me start by saying… being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. It’s an intimidating endeavor to take on and a motivating factor to keep going. Having an idea is one part. Having the urge is another. Wanting to acquire the knowledge is the next. Deciding to physically put effort in follows, and being willing to learn, adjust, reject, be rejected, risk take, invent and compete remain expected. These are all part of the job, at any point in time. The good part is… you’re your own boss and it’s something you like doing. Read more>>

Isabella Ostos and Romina Palmero

We’ve had regular jobs before. We’ve had grueling minimum wage jobs that we couldn’t wait to get out of, and we’ve gotten the opportunities to work in fields that we are genuinely passionate about. And while we’ve learned immensely from either spectrum, the reality is that there is nothing we would rather be doing than getting to choose the way our business is run. Read more>>

Heidi Johnson

I worked in both the service industry and professional workforce for 10 years before I decided to take the leap into owning my own business. Entrepreneurship is scary and if you thought the doubts that echo in your own head are bad, wait till you hear the fear projected on to you from everyone else. Read more>>

Jillian Walkowiak

I have had almost every job experience that you can imagine. I’ve assistant managed a jewelry kiosk, been a server, worked as a flight attendant, worked in the veterinary industry, did collections for a local utility company, was a fraud investigator for a major insurance company… the list goes on. If the job is out there, I’ve probably given it a go! Read more>>