Fall into Entrepreneurship

The C. T. Bauer College of Business celebrated this year's autumn equinox with extra seasonal festivities as entrepreneurship students hosted an on-campus fall market.

The event brought more than 20 vendors to the University of Houston campus, selling jewelry, clothing and other collectables. Organized by students in the No. 1 ranked Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, the event fundraised for their intellectual property business and challenged them to plan the project in roughly two weeks.

"Every single vendor there was a small business," marketing and entrepreneurship senior Dylann Hearn said. "Some vendors told us it was an amazing way to get revenue during the week because markets are typically on weekends. Others told us it was their first time on campus, but they'd love to come back."

Hearnn, who led her team's organizational efforts, shared that pop-up events like the fall market strengthen campus life and provide an enjoyable activity for students to experience.

"Markets like this incentivize students to spend more time on campus and embraces a supportive culture," she said. "It strengthens the community and adds the fun aspect of letting students do a little shopping between classes."

Psychology sophomore Mia Velasquez was attracted to the market's bright merchandise and said she was happy to uplift others.

"I always stop at events like this and want to participate," she said. "There's a bunch of interesting stuff that you can discover just by walking around on campus."

Pre-business sophomore Macs Nelson volunteered at the fall market, selling art prints and postcards for a local vendor. Nelson, who moved from Minnesota in hopes of getting accepted into the Wolff Center, encouraged his peers to stop at events like this when possible.

"You can always help a big corporation, but they're also these small businesses trying to put their name out there in the world," he said. "I love it when people try to pave their own path. There's a lot of innovation, energy and ideas at these markets, and I think it's awesome when students support others in achieving their dreams."