Scholarship Winners

The Kenan Social Engagement Program at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University recently announced the selection of four scholarship winners for 2024.

These scholarship recipients, or Kenan Scholars, were chosen as part of a competitive selection process to launch social ventures that they conceptualized and planned in the Fall 2023 semester in a social entrepreneurship course taught by program co-directors Timothy Steigenga, Ph.D. and Christopher Strain, Ph.D., both professors at the Honors College. The program is designed to educate students in the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship, help them develop plans for addressing a pressing social need, and assist them in partnering with nonprofit organizations.

• Ava Pitts is the winner of this year’s highest award – a $10,000 seed grant for her venture, Enviro Hours, a mobile application that records volunteer hours for students removing trash from their communities. Enviro Hours aims not only to address the problem of littering through environmental clean-up, but also to help students document their service, up to and including a feature that allows students to send certifications directly to school officials. Pitts is a senior at the Honors College pursuing a concentration in marine biology.
• Alberto Hernandez received $2500 in start-up funding for his venture, Stone Pine Marketing, which specializes in creating marketing materials and promotional videos for nonprofit organizations. The aim is to showcase the work being done by these other organizations, who often lack resources to devote to marketing and public relations. Hernandez, a senior foreign relations student minoring in Spanish at the Honors College, said he has a passion for storytelling through film and that he sees his work as a vital service to local nonprofits. By helping nonprofits to promote themselves, Stone Pine in turn helps the organizations fulfil their missions. He has applied to the Florida Atlantic Wave Competition, another entrepreneurial competition for students.
• Nicholas Moy received $2500 in start-up funding for his venture, Global Heritage Creations, a fair-trade e-platform designed to help small-scale vendors of skin- and haircare products in developing countries access an international consumer base. Through this e-commerce site, consumers can purchase authentic products that contain turmeric, shea butter and plant extracts from overseas while ensuring that producers are fairly compensated. Moy, a junior biology student at the Honors College, partnered with fellow students Rachel Kavalakatt and Avanthi Puvvala to actualize this project.
  
  Moy and Kavalakatt have also initiated a second venture using artificial intelligence for early glaucoma diagnosis. With this project, they are finalists for the e-Fest Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Competition in Minneapolis, and they have applied for funding from the Clinton Global Initiative.
• Ellie Pfahler received $2500 in start-up funding for her venture, Neurodiverse Educational Testing (NET), a for-profit social venture that specializes in providing comprehensive support for neurodiverse children and students through a range of services, including initial online assessments and personalized 504 education plans. Utilizing advanced machine learning, NET provides personalized guidance for conditions such as autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The creation of 504 education plans is central to NET’s mission, ensuring students receive necessary accommodations for educational success, ultimately shortening the gap between neurodiverse children and low graduation rates. Focusing on inclusivity and support for economically disadvantaged families, NET is committed to equalizing access to diagnostic and support services. Pfahler, a junior double major in International Studies and Spanish at the Honors College, says that she hopes to enter foreign service and do international nonprofit work. Pfahler developed the venture in partnership with Tarruck Wheeler. The pair have participated in the Florida Atlantic Wave Competition, Florida Atlantic Entrepreneur Boot Camp and the Florida Atlantic Business Pitch Competition. They have also been accepted to travel to Lisbon, Portugal, to compete in the second round of the Hult Prize, a global start-up development competition.

Each year, the Kenan Social Engagement Program enters agreements with Palm Beach County-based nonprofit community partners where students do academic service learning. The students write business plans either for their own ventures or for ventures tailored to serve the mission of the community partner. Now in its 12th year, the Kenan Social Engagement program is funded by a grant and endowment by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.