Leonard P. Pool Prize, Other Winners
In other accolades, 12 student entrepreneurs were recognized with the Leonard P. Pool Prize, given to rising juniors and seniors who possess the entrepreneurial spirit. The Pool Prize winners for 2019 are:
- Victor Contreras ’20
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Nazr El-Scari ’21
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Rebecca Lutinen ’20
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Praveen Joseph ’20
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Abigail Mitchell ’21
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Natalie Mitchell ’21
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Alexa Nunamaker ’20
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Victoria Pasini ’20
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Julia Pietruszka ’20
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Salvador Silva ’20
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Douglas Witte ’19
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Alex Woods ’21
Michael Wu ‘20 was awarded the Donald E. Flinchbaugh Memorial Endowed Scholarship, given to students who combine the study and practice of technology, engineering and manufacturing.
Boniface Kyalo ’22 received recognition as a Davis Projects for Peace winner, an award from the Kathryn W. Davis Foundation that funds grassroots projects at American colleges and universities.
“Entrepreneurship allows me to see problems as opportunities to create solutions,” Kyalo said. “At Lehigh, I’ve found a community of diverse yet like-minded risk takers, we are being inspired to find solutions to some of the toughest world problems.”
The John B. Ochs Award for Faculty Achievement in Entrepreneurship Education at Lehigh, named for the recently retired Lehigh faculty member, was presented to to Ganesh Balasubramanian, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics.
Farrington Award
The biggest surprise of the evening came when President John Simon ‘19P presented the Farrington Award for Outstanding Commitment to Entrepreneurship. Named for Lehigh’s 12th president, Gregory Farrington, the award is annually given to a person who has made a positive impact on the Lehigh entrepreneurial community.
This year’s winner was shocked as her name was announced, but to those in attendance, her win came as no surprise. Joan F. Thalheimer, together with her husband John M. Thalheimer ‘55, endowed Lehigh with a gift in 2005 that has helped grow and sustain the entrepreneurial immersion programs and she continues to be a generous and innovative supporter.
Simon said Thalheimer “holds a longstanding belief in all that Lehigh does to foster our students’ capacity for creativity and innovation, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the skills needed to act on it.” While accepting the award, Thalheimer referenced her enjoyment of experiencing the immense student talent nurtured by the Baker Institute year after year.
People's Choice, Grand Prize Winners
As the evening came to a close, it was time to award the two biggest student prizes of the night.
After all the Baker Bucks were counted, the People’s Choice Award went to Yabo LLC (Max Mastbaum ‘18 ‘19G, Tom Macon ‘19, and Dario Sabadussi ‘19), a mobile platform that enhances the in-dining experience by making paying a restaurant bill or closing a bar tab quicker, easier and safer.
To award the Grand Prize, the judges first met privately with each team to ask questions, then deliberated.
Third place was awarded to A Sneakerhead’s Paradise, and second place was awarded to Gavel-It.
Grand Prize went to Preff. The team plans to use the funds to travel to the National Restaurant Association Show in summer to learn more about the industry and introduce Preff to new audiences.
The Innovate, Celebrate Awards Dinner marked the end of the academic year for the Baker Institute. But in one month, the 10-week Hatchery: Student Idea Accelerator begins. Also, six students will head off to London, England and New Delhi, India for entrepreneurial internships.
Story and photos by Samantha McGinty Dutton
