Behind the Blazer

Courage, compassion and vision.

Those three pillars are the foundational values that make the mission of the No. 1 ranked Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. The highly coveted program attracts applicants from across the country, seeking entrepreneurial resources and knowledge to make their dreams a reality.

Led by Executive Director David Cook, students take courses in purpose and leadership to get a holistic understanding of entrepreneurship and character. At the root of the program, Cook often describes the Wolff Center as dedicated to starting businesses and changing lives.

Students are taught to lean on each other for support, assigned into 'Dream Teams,' accountability groups that work together on goal setting and progress throughout the program, often staying in touch after graduation.

Recently, 32 new Wolff Center students were inducted into the Class of 2027. After a joyous ceremony where the new class heard from program staff, benefactor Cyvia Wolff and dozens of mentors, six students shared who they are at the start of their Wolff Center journey.

Ansley Brown

“My journey is a bit unique. I completed the Program for Excellence in Selling before joining the Wolff Center, so I think I come in with sort of a different mindset of knowing the sales aspect.

One thing that I hope to gain from the program is getting to know all of my classmates. I'm one of the Dream Team CEOs, and one of my dreams is to change the lives of my team members. I hope that we can impact each other and create lifelong friendships.”

Elijah Zimel

“I was an industrial design major before I was a Wolff student, so I bring product development and technical skills to the program. I think that's really valuable, especially in the early stages of startups.

Beyond that, relationships are really important to me. The mantra that I live by is that people are the most important aspect of your life.

I'm looking to further develop my classmates. I'm also a Dream Team CEO, and part of what I'm looking to contribute is pushing people toward their dreams. It's a powerful thing to have 31 other classmates who know your goals and your ambitions for the rest of your life.

These people are pushing me toward my goals and ambitions, and I’m pushing them toward theirs.”

Elizabeth Smith

“I came from Chicago just for the Wolff Center. I learned about Wolff my sophomore year, and I was able to apply and get in. I'm excited about the family aspect. It's really a good group of people who want the best for you and want to help you grow in tremendous ways.

I'm excited to bring my experience going through the sales program to Wolff. It's helped me teach others about sales and has been useful for my Wolffest team. I've been able to host a couple of cold call sessions and teach them about rejection handling.

My goal is to learn how to become an entrepreneur and start my own business. One of the best things that you can gain here is mentorship, especially because the mentors are people who have actually gone out there and had the real-world experience. It’ll be helpful in corporate, or to start my own business out of college.

What the Wolff Center brings is not comparable to any other program in the country.”

Dylann Hearn

“I bring a lot of nonprofit industry experience to the program. I’m the president and founder of one called Ripple Effect Foundation. Within Wolff, each student holds a CEO role for a specific initiative. I lead the Empowering Women Out of Prison (EWOP) program that we do here. Community outreach is a big aspect that I'm passionate about.

So much opportunity is given to us from Dave Cook and all our mentors, and it's up to us to take advantage of all.

They give us business cards, name tags, blazers, networking events and real-world experience through Wolffest. There's really no other program that gives you this much opportunity through community.”

Rowan Kaul

“I bring a good sense of community and energy to the program. I really want to be able to uplift the class to help everybody achieve their dreams.

I want to appreciate the community aspect as well. I want to be able to build a family here in the Wolff Center.

Additionally, my goal is to build my business knowledge and hopefully come out the program with a clear idea of what I want to do in the future.”

Diego Lopez

“One of the main reasons I joined the Wolff Center was because of the community we have here. Everyone here pushes you to be someone better every single day.

I want to be that person to also push my Dream Team and my fellow classmates.

I have a lot of friends who have successful businesses and run their own companies, and I've learned so much about sales, marketing and branding from them. I’d like to bring that knowledge over to my classmates and help them start their businesses.

I hope to learn as much as possible from every individual. My class has been very fun, and it's been a great experience so far.”