Wiscontrepreneur scholarship winner profiles

Brian Benford is a social work major with a strong commitment to social entrepreneurship. Originally from Milwaukee, Brian has served as Program Director at the Madison Neighborhood House Community Center an alderperson for the City of Madison. He is the founder of the Madison Fatherhood Alliance, an organization which promotes positive parenting. After graduation Brian would like to create a non-profit organization, modeled after the settlement houses of the past, to create opportunities and provide support for youth, families and underprivileged adults as they strive to reach their full potential. Brian is also the proud father of four: Lucas, 21, Brianne, 19, Maya, 15 and Jacob, 13.

Travis Blomberg is a political science major from Colfax, WI. While still in high school, Travis turned an avid interest in sports into a successful business. He is the founder, owner, and president of the Stripes Officiating Agency (SOA), which provides Wisconsin sports clubs with trained, dependable officials. The business continues to thrive as Travis pursues his degree at UW–Madison; he founded the Stripes Officiating Club (SOC) at UW, to recruit students with an interest in officiating. In the future, Travis plans to continue his work with the SOA. Travis would like to thank his parents for everything they have done for him.

Joseph French is a Menomonee Falls native majoring in accounting and finance, investment, and banking. In 2005 he developed an enduring dedication to entrepreneurship with the creation of Frenchy Electronics, an eBay business for which he is president and owner. Joseph received the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Young Entrepreneur Award in recognition of his success. In the future, Joseph would like to start a commercial and investment bank. He would also like to one day own a major league baseball team.

Ryan Garza of Chicago, IL is double majoring in political science and sociology, and working toward a certificate in Chicano/Latino studies. While still in high school, Ryan was a founder and project coordinator for ImagineIF, a Chicago non profit community organization which helps to expand the horizons of ‘at-risk’ youth. The organization creates an environment in which Chicago youth are able to excel academically, through mentoring, tutoring and exposure to new ideas and activities. At UW–Madison Ryan is involved with Campus Advantage Housing, where he is a community assistant and a leasing agent. After graduation, Ryan plans to continue his work with urban neighborhoods in Chicago, specifically with Chicago Public School students.

Originally from South Brunswick, NJ, Christopher Kardosh is majoring in finance and Arabic. He is the founder and president of the International Development Club, which gives UW Madison students a chance to actively participate in microfinance, a process in which financial institutions make credit available to those in developing nations who make less than a dollar a day. Chris hopes to use the tools learned from his double major to work with a micro-finance bank in the Middle East to make credit available to the extremely impoverished. Chris also plans to attend graduate school to learn how to start his own financial institution in the future.

Julian Moncada of Lauderdale, MN, intends to major in finance and international business. He is the founder and owner of Mara Accessories, which sells jewelry and accessories handcrafted with materials from Colombia and other South American nations, and donates proceeds to an orphanage in Bogotá. The business is currently based in St. Paul, MN, but Julian is working hard to expand into the Madison market; he hopes to begin doing business with shops in the Madison area this spring. Julian’s parents, who immigrated to the U.S. before he was born, have been a great inspiration to him. They have taught him to work hard, make the most of what he has been given, and to use his blessings to help those in need. It is this philosophy that Julian brings to his entrepreneurial activities.

Jessica Pan is a French and international relations major from Lincolnwood, IL. She is a charter member and Vice President External of the Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, the first Asian-interest sorority at UW Madison. Under Jessica’s leadership the organization is planning a breast cancer awareness event, and collaborating with other organizations to enrich the multicultural community on campus. Jessica’s future goals include pursuing a graduate degree and working in human resources management. She would also like to establish or support an organization that provides a safe recreational space for youth and people from the community. Of course, if these plans do not work out, Jessica would not mind being the CEO of Six Flags Great America!

Connor Tuttle, from Winnetka, Illinois, is majoring in finance, investment and banking. He turned his enthusiasm for hockey — which he has played since age 4 — into a successful student organization, the UW Men’s Ice Hockey Club. As founder and president, the success of this club owes much to Connor’s determination and organizational skills. He plans to form a JV club team, which would compete at the division 2 level, and help establish a Big Ten division within the American Collegiate Hockey Association. His future goals include working in finance after graduation, and eventually start his own company or hedge fund.

Nicole Wiegert intends to major in marketing as well as technical theatre. This Green Bay native was a co-founder, and marketing director of Madison Shuttle, a student-run bus company aiming to provide students inexpensive transportation from Madison to different UW campuses. This past summer, Nicole was a marketing intern for Big Brothers/Big Sisters where she helped create a ‘good deals’ list, informing Big Brother/Sisters and their matches of activities they could participate in around the community for little or no cost. This year, Nicole is working with DECA to launch a student-run business, in addition to working on a theatrical production through the Undergraduate Theatre Association. After graduation, Nicole plans to bring together non profits and corporations into constructive partnerships that can better the community.

Huimin Zhang, from Dalian, China, is double majoring in economics, and journalism. She is the co-founder and acting vice-president of the UW–Madison China Economic Forum, a student organization that offers lectures by invited guests. Huimin also has served as a public relations officer with the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association and as an intern with the Asian Pacific American Council at UW–Madison. After graduation, Huimin would like to start an international business, using insight gained as an international student to start an international education program to provide information, language training and advising to students who want to study abroad.