Derek Crowe
Derek arrived at the University of Rochester in 2005 with the NAVY ROTC scholarship and plan to study mechanical engineering. During his first semester, however, he spent a few evenings poking at a sheep brain that his friend found in a biology lab garbage and realized biomedical engineering was where his passion lay. Additionally, he questioned his involvement in the NAVY and chose to give up the scholarship and removed himself from the program. Throughout the last 5 years, Derek has spent his free time volunteering in the AmeriCorps Jumpstart program, serving as a resident advisor on campus, researching silicon membranes, organizing freshman outing treks around NY, leading chemistry and biology workshops, and acting in the comedy improvisational theater troupe In Between the Lines. In 2008, his junior year, he was accepted as a Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year (KEY) Scholar with three other undergraduates. Since then, his view of, and investment in, educational theory and practice has undergone a noticeable change. He has come to view education as an opportunity to promote personal development, advocate for social justice, and most importantly, to encourage proactive democratic engagement in society. With these motivations in mind, his team launched The Point Rochester, a website that serves as a dynamic networking tool for educational-related outreach efforts that are currently in place in Rochester, NY. By finding, connecting, and highlighting these efforts, they aim to encourage collaborative, university-community partnerships.
Samantha Ruiz
Samantha Ruiz is a Peruvian and Puerto Rican American from Orlando, FL. She chose to attend the University of Rochester because the school’s smaller size but large opportunities. Samantha was attracted to the idea of having a small student to teacher ratio and being able to take classes based on her passions. Samantha is a chemical engineering major and is involved in the Society of Women Engineers, American Institute for Chemical Engineers, and Campus Crusade for Christ. In her first four years at Rochester, Samantha developed an entrepreneurial passion for sustainability. She is now in her fifth year at the University as a Kauffman Entrepreneurial Scholar working on the foundations of a sustainability consulting firm. “I think my best experiences at the U of R have come from working on this project with my two colleagues, Jordan Parker and Howard Kanter. We’ve had the opportunity to take business classes together, network with the Rochester professional community, and then interest other students in joining our work. Just this past winter break, I interned at startup wind turbine company in Taiwan for a few weeks. It was amazing! I not only learned a lot about wind turbines but I got to experience another business culture. I know the internship would not have been possible without the support of the Hajim Engineering School and my Chemical Engineering advisor, Ben Ebenhack.” Samantha is expected to graduate this May 2010 and aspires to obtain an MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business.
Mollie Foust
Mollie Foust is a 2008 graduate of the University of Rochester. She was also a 2009 Kuffman Entrepreneurial Year (KEY) Scholar focusing on afterschool programming and sports empowerment. As a history and anthropology major, she studied abroad in Kenya in Spring 2007 and realized her passion for social entrepreneurship. Mollie was the co-founder of the UR Education Alliance and developed the UR Tours, Jr. program for Rochester area fourth through sixth graders. She was an active member of several community groups at UR and in the city including the PLEX Neighborhood Association, Flower City Soccer League, and RCCL, and served as a residential adviser for four years. As part of her KEY program, Mollie developed a tutoring and ethics program focused specifically on the needs of youth recreational athletes in the city of Rochester. Post-graduation Mollie served as the interim Executive Director for Flower City Soccer League through August 2009. Currently she works as the School-Age Child Care Director at the Southwest YMCA in Rochester, NY.
Bob Tobin
Mr. Tobin’s current position is Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University’s Center for Entrepreneurship as well as Associate Director of the Center.
Prior to the University, he was president and C.E.O. of Tobin & Associates Inc., an information technology services firm that was established in 1987. Over the next 20 years, the company grew from six employees to over 140, while extending the core competencies and capabilities to better meet the evolving technical requirements of its clients.
Tobin & Associates Inc. was a seven-time recipient of the Rochester Top 100 Award and also received the Quality First Award from Eastman Kodak Company. Tobin & Associates Inc. was also awarded the Empire State Employer Recognition Award, earning statewide praise for its proactive employment efforts on behalf of physically challenged individuals.
In addition to his business and education pursuits, Tobin is very active in the Rochester community. He was an inaugural member of the Entrepreneurial Partnership of Nazareth College, a member of the Rochester Rehabilitation Center Board, board member of the Center for Information Services (a nonprofit IT collaboration project) and a board member at Coordinated Care Services, Inc. He is past president of the Small Business Council of the Greater Metro Rochester Chamber of Commerce, past board president of the Rochester Rehabilitation Center and past president of Prevention Partners, a drug use prevention and education agency.
Tobin was named Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Council of the Greater Metro Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Citizen of the Year by the Penfield (N.Y.) Lions Club.
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