Meet our Entrepreneurial Fellows

The GW Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial Fellows work to facilitate an exceptional student experience for all GW innovators university-wide. Each year a new cohort is selected to assist with a wide variety of entrepreneurship and innovative-focused programs. The Entrepreneurial Fellows Program is comprised of a group of undergraduate students and graduate students from all 10 schools here at GW. Our Fellows come from various backgrounds and are all knowledgeable about the entrepreneurial ecosystem here at GW. They act as ambassadors of the office and can serve as a resource for all students, faculty, and staff on campus.

If you see them around campus -- say hi!

	Donivyn Cruz Senior \| Class of 2021 School of Engineering and Applied Science \| Major: Biomedical Engineering Donivyn is a senior in the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science studying Biomedical Engineering. He was a participant in the 2020 GW New Venture Competition and has performed entrepreneurship training with the GW I-Corps and Virginia SBDC ICAP teams. Combining his experiences and skills in technical innovation and entrepreneurship, Donivyn is focused on the development of OI&E programs that foster technology commercialization, specifically in the healthcare marketspace.
	Janssen Keiger 1st Year Masters \| Class of 2021 Graduate School of Education and Human Development \| Major: Higher Education Administration, Concentration: Policy and Finance Janssen Keiger is a current Masters student in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development studying Higher Education Administration with a Policy and Finance concentration. In this track, Janssen hopes to create more innovative and effective pathways to college access for marginalized communities. He also hopes to study the effect of experiential learning on student success in higher education. While working for this office, Janssen will assist the I-Corps team with their programming, help manage social media, and be a leader in creating an instructional video series for the DC I-Corps region. Janssen graduated cum laude from Butler University with a B.A. in Strategic Communication with minors in Public Relations and Education.
	Anvitha Prasad Junior \| Class of 2022 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: International Business & Marketing, Minor: Sustainability Anvitha is a junior in the GW School of Business concentrating in International Business and Marketing, while minoring in Sustainability. She has international experiences with her organization Circle of Giving whose mission is to provide economic independence for struggling and indigenous artisans. Along with this, she was a consultant for MZZ Ventures at GW, where she has worked on a team to provide marketing recommendations for international organizations. Through these experiences, she is passionate about the intersectionality between international development, sustainability and innovation and is looking forward to working with like minded people!
	Simone Vaillancourt Sophomore \| Class of 2023 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Simone is a sophomore in the GW School of Business and is studying Business Administration with a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about environmentalism and currently serves as the founder and CEO of a sustainable beauty packaging company. As a semifinalist in the 2020 GW New Venture Competition, Simone gained valuable feedback and skills that she plans to carry into this year's competition, as well as her role at the OI&E. While serving as an Entrepreneurial Fellow, Simone will assist the OI&E with event planning, marketing, and workshop development. In addition, she hopes to help craft events that focus on startup marketing and sustainability in entrepreneurship.
	Mariam Zara Junior \| Class of 2022 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Mariam is currently a sophomore in the GW School of Business concentrating in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. As an international student, Mariam has been exposed to and deeply values the range of cultural diversity as well as travelling abroad. She believes that her critical thinking and problem-solving skills will guide her in building her own social impact enterprise that will empower underprivileged women to seek opportunities in the workforce.

	Donivyn Cruz Senior \| Class of 2021 School of Engineering and Applied Science \| Major: Biomedical Engineering Donivyn is a senior in the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science studying Biomedical Engineering. He was a participant in the 2020 GW New Venture Competition and has performed entrepreneurship training with the GW I-Corps and Virginia SBDC ICAP teams. Combining his experiences and skills in technical innovation and entrepreneurship, Donivyn is focused on the development of OI&E programs that foster technology commercialization, specifically in the healthcare marketspace.
	Janssen Keiger 1st Year Masters \| Class of 2021 Graduate School of Education and Human Development \| Major: Higher Education Administration, Concentration: Policy and Finance Janssen Keiger is a current Masters student in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development studying Higher Education Administration with a Policy and Finance concentration. In this track, Janssen hopes to create more innovative and effective pathways to college access for marginalized communities. He also hopes to study the effect of experiential learning on student success in higher education. While working for this office, Janssen will assist the I-Corps team with their programming, help manage social media, and be a leader in creating an instructional video series for the DC I-Corps region. Janssen graduated cum laude from Butler University with a B.A. in Strategic Communication with minors in Public Relations and Education.
	Anvitha Prasad Junior \| Class of 2022 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: International Business & Marketing, Minor: Sustainability Anvitha is a junior in the GW School of Business concentrating in International Business and Marketing, while minoring in Sustainability. She has international experiences with her organization Circle of Giving whose mission is to provide economic independence for struggling and indigenous artisans. Along with this, she was a consultant for MZZ Ventures at GW, where she has worked on a team to provide marketing recommendations for international organizations. Through these experiences, she is passionate about the intersectionality between international development, sustainability and innovation and is looking forward to working with like minded people!
	Simone Vaillancourt Sophomore \| Class of 2023 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Simone is a sophomore in the GW School of Business and is studying Business Administration with a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about environmentalism and currently serves as the founder and CEO of a sustainable beauty packaging company. As a semifinalist in the 2020 GW New Venture Competition, Simone gained valuable feedback and skills that she plans to carry into this year's competition, as well as her role at the OI&E. While serving as an Entrepreneurial Fellow, Simone will assist the OI&E with event planning, marketing, and workshop development. In addition, she hopes to help craft events that focus on startup marketing and sustainability in entrepreneurship.
	Mariam Zara Junior \| Class of 2022 School of Business \| Major: Business Administration, Concentration: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Mariam is currently a sophomore in the GW School of Business concentrating in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. As an international student, Mariam has been exposed to and deeply values the range of cultural diversity as well as travelling abroad. She believes that her critical thinking and problem-solving skills will guide her in building her own social impact enterprise that will empower underprivileged women to seek opportunities in the workforce.

Donivyn Cruz

Janssen Keiger

Anvitha Prasad

Simone Vaillancourt

Mariam Zara

Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship