In May of 2019, I will receive two degrees, a B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and a B.A. in Global & International Studies with a certification in Nonprofit Leadership as well as a minor in Political Science. I have been fortunate enough to take part in several opportunities during my time at Western Michigan University in order to prepare for my career. One of those is being part of the Seita Scholars program, which is for foster youth in higher education and has been a huge factor in my success.
Since I transferred to WMU, I have done six different study abroad programs to the Dominican Republic, South Africa, South Korea, India, Italy, and Ecuador on the topics of sustainability, business ethics, international humanitarianism, global marketing and Spanish. Furthermore, I took part in a Study in the States course on Entrepreneurship through the Lee Honors College. From this experience, I changed my major from accounting to entrepreneurship.
Shortly after changing my major, I participated in Starting Gate and developed a business plan and pitch deck. As any entrepreneur would know, your first idea probably won’t be your greatest. That is why I decided to start on a new venture of starting my own business, The Scholarship Expert, to help students find monies for college. I have developed workshops and decided to primarily focus on helping other foster youth and first generation youth.
Being a child of foster care, I do not have any family contribution, which means I have to be resourceful and search for scholarships to help fund my education. I see every scholarship as someone believing in me and investing in me. This encourages me to try harder and prove that I am worth investing in.
Former President Dr. Dunn chose me as the University’s only nomination for the 2017 Newman Civic Fellowship. From this experience, I was one of two students who were chosen to receive a full scholarship to participate in the Leadership and Presidential program in Washington D.C. based on my commitment to addressing issues affecting our communities locally, nationally, and globally. While there, I worked at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and took courses at George Mason University.
Following graduation, I plan to attend my top choice for graduate school, Georgetown University, to pursue the Master of Foreign Service with a concentration in International Development. With this, I have the opportunity to obtain a certificate in either Humanitarian Response or African Studies. In other words, I plan to utilize my entrepreneurial knowledge and innovate ideas to help create change on a global level.
For my final year at Western Michigan University, I am struggling to fund my tuition and other expenses. I am hoping to end my college career without an immense amount of debt so that I can have a smooth transition into graduate school or an internship with either World Vision or the United Nations Foundation.
Alexis Lenderman
Class of 2019
2017 Newman Civic Fellow
Seita Scholar
Nsoro Scholar