Hillman Entrepreneurs Students Focus on Academics and Community Leadership

The Hillman Entrepreneurs Program is a scholarship initiative targeted to students who have an interest in entrepreneurship and an enthusiasm for starting a business venture or leading a company. Brianna Broadus is illustrative of the Hillman Entrepreneurs Program student. The Hillman Entrepreneurs Program offers a new model in education. With the help of the program, students who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education start their college career at either Prince George’s Community College or Montgomery College and then transfer to the University of Maryland to complete their bachelor’s degree in any major. The Hillman Program provides up to 2/3 tuition in scholarship funds. The students also receive close attention from full-time mentors at each institution. Students participate in community and team-building activities while taking classes in entrepreneurship and leadership.

Brianna has been an active Hillman Entrepreneur since arriving at the University of Maryland from Montgomery Community College in the fall of 2015. Her activities have forged bonds among the students from the two different community colleges.

For example, in the fall she participated in the Hillman Entrepreneurs Community Service Event at the Bluebird Jazz Festival. In addition, she assumed leadership role in many Hillman Entrepreneurs activities such as our Fall Potluck and our upcoming Dance-A-Thon. She is also taking a leadership role at the University of Maryland. She is the Coach of I.M.P.A.C.T. Step Team and a math tutor. As a Hillman student she demonstrates the leadership skills and community service expected of all Hillman students.

Brianna is also expanding her skills in business and entrepreneurship. She has joined TerpAMA and is now a brand ambassador. In addition, she was chosen by the Robert H. Smith School of Business, to speak as a Smith transfer student for the Transfer Boot Camp,  and to speak at the Third Annual Future Women in Business Conference. She has accomplished all this while securing an internship for this summer at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Although she has been at the University of Maryland for less than a year, Brianna exemplifies the passion, determination, and leadership that all Hillman Entrepreneurs are expected to develop and shows the quality of the students that the University of Maryland expects.

The Hillman Entrepreneurs students continue their participation in community service in the weeks ahead with the following events: Volunteering with the National Children's Museum to participate in the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll; and a combined service project to plant American chestnut trees with students from Montgomery County and Prince George's County Community Colleges, in partnership with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, .