Embracing Every Opportunity

Amy Helgeson '22 has the heart of a social entrepreneur. Throughout the past four years at St. Thomas, she's focused on helping others through her social startups and mentoring young entrepreneurs.

My education has shaped me to become a better entrepreneur, employee, and mentor.

What types of opportunities have helped you grow as an entrepreneur?

"When I arrived at St. Thomas freshman year, I had a lot of fear about graduation. I wondered if I'd have to get a traditional corporate job. Or if I'd be able to innovate full-time and still live on my own. I really didn't want to live in my parent's basement.

My fears were mitigated within my first semester when we visited the Finnovation Lab. My heart burst with joy when I learned that many accelerator programs and incubators pay entrepreneurs to work on their ventures full-time. I was even more delighted to learn that many of them were focused on the social entrepreneur! 

I began attending events to grow my ventures and network with entrepreneurs in this space. While I don't know when my time will be for these incubators, they're now at the top of my list of goals.

What's been keeping you busy these days? 

The creative side of my brain was super active this summer. I wrapped up my marketing internship at Bizzy Coffee - a Tommie-owned business. I created digital ads, developed a new sales funnel, collaborated with influencers to curate original content, among others. We even made the world's largest cold brew iced bath! 

I'm super grateful that the Schulze School offered a stipend to work at this startup. Without the assistance, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to work at Bizzy. It was one of my favorite internship experiences.

I recently accepted a full-time position at ExpressionMed, a company that designs Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) adhesives. Currently, I'm creating a collection of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to raise money and awareness for the diabetes community. I'm also working on a startup called LABLE. It's an online marketplace that connects people living with disabilities to adaptive clothing brands.

How has the Schulze School played a part in your personal and professional goals?

I've grown significantly as an entrepreneur. Courses in entrepreneurial strategy and research taught me to test my assumptions and the importance of consumer interviews. I've applied these lessons to all of my startups and even my internship at Bizzy Coffee.

St. Thomas has presented amazing new learnings, connections, and experiences. So many entrepreneurs, professors, startups, and professionals are willing to help if you ask.

From the bottom of my heart, I'm incredibly grateful for the Schulze Innovation Scholarship program. I'm so blessed to have received this scholarship and everything and everyone that comes with it."