News Stories

  • November 18, 2019

    Table with tortilla toaster and platters of tortilla-based appetizers.

    Alumni Update: Taco ’bout ingenuity: Grad invention hits market

    Elliot Benitez ’07 (marketing) was eating dinner with his mother when he noticed that she kept getting up to warm tortillas over the stove. Benitez thought there had to be a better way. He searched Google and Amazon for a tortilla toaster and found nothing. Today, that same search points people toward the Nuni Toaster, patented by Benitez.

  • November 18, 2019

    Racks of clothes at boutique store.

    Alumni Update: Fashion that makes your wallet feel good

    Fashionable boutique clothing usually comes with large price tags. However, at Shop Peppermint and Salty, two boutiques in Rochester owned by Tanvi Asher ’10 MFA (industrial design), customers can get a high-end experience at an accessible cost.

  • November 18, 2019

    Alumnus and President David Munson talk at table with others.

    Fellowship allows students to be entrepreneurs and stay in school

    The Gap Year Entrepreneurial Fellowship allows SOIS students to take time off of school to focus on personal business ventures while still working toward their degrees. Students in the fellowship also receive a $15,000 award to create the time and space needed to build their businesses.

  • November 18, 2019

    Portrait of student Amanda Zaremski.

    Amanda Zaremski, CEO of WinutRx

    Meet Gap Year Fellow Amanda Zaremski, CEO of WinutRx, a patient-centric medical tool for mobile devices used to personalize nutrition and medication tracking for people diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

  • November 18, 2019

    Portrait of student Jeremiah Gryczka.

    Jeremiah Gryczka, owner of Mountain House Media

    Meet Gap Year Fellow Jeremiah Gryczka, owner of Mountain House Media, a digital media production and advertising agency that acts as a creative partner for its clients by helping to improve visibility of their businesses and by stimulating creative growth.

  • November 18, 2019

    portrait of Christina Gullo.

    Alumni Update: Providing a glimmer of hope to those in need

    One thing has remained constant as Christina Gullo has advanced in her career—her passion for helping people. Gullo ’06 (Executive MBA) is president and CEO of Villa of Hope, a youth and family services organization in Rochester dedicated to helping those struggling with substance abuse, mental illness, and education challenges.

  • November 18, 2019

    Portrait of student Zack Evans.

    Zack Evans, co-founder and co-CEO of Librex Fulfillment

    Meet Gap Year Fellow Zack Evans, co-founder and co-CEO of Librex Fulfillment, a third-party logistics company that helps international and local e-commerce businesses reach their customer base in the American and Canadian markets.