MBA Student Enhances Entrepreneurial Opportunities On Campus
AJ Bove is a man of action. Since he started as the Graduate Assistant for Student Leadership & Involvement, the MBA student has been taking the skills he learned in the business world and putting them to use in the service of Seton Hill students.
Bove, who majored in accounting at Westminster College, has had a wide range of business experience since graduating – both in working for others and in growing his own company which provided an odor-trapping solution for athletes who wear gloves.
After a few years working in various aspects of business, Bove felt his next step should be pursuing an MBA. As a Hempfield graduate, he found a good fit down the road at Seton Hill both in the business program and in his GA role.
As he got to know the students, AJ - who is specializing in project management - had a desire to leverage the existing strength of Seton Hill’s business program and the skills they are learning in the classroom to enhance the awareness and development of entrepreneurial opportunities on campus.
The first obstacle he had to overcome was getting students to recognize that the work they are doing could be considered entrepreneurial.
“There are students at Seton Hill that regularly exhibit the entrepreneurial spirit through their leadership in various clubs and organizations or even just on their own out of their dorm rooms,” Bove said. “But because of the regularity with which they take part in these activities, they may not realize the wider impact they can make with the skills they have. Providing additional opportunities throughout this semester was a new way to reach these students and show them just how awesome they are.”
AJ and Director of Student Leadership & Involvement Evan Ditty worked together, along with Assistant Professor of Business and Director of the Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities Lyzona Marshall and Vice President For Student Affairs & Athletics Rosalie Carpenter, to launch a three-part series focused on highlighting the Setonian entrepreneurial spirit.
The series launched at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester with a student business market highlighting student entrepreneurial endeavors of all kinds. Students then had the opportunity to host pop-up shops in Lowe Dining Hall during lunch. The series concluded with the first Griffin Impact Challenge, which featured 13 students presenting impact-focused ideas before a panel of judges, including Carpenter; Greensburg’s Director of Planning and Development Alec Italiano; Helen Keegan-Geroux, Vice President for the Greensburg Business and Professional Association (GBPA); and Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew.
Sophomore Amarr Barrie took part in all three events in the series throughout the spring.
Amarr designs all the clothing for his business D.O.L.O., which stands for “Die Once, Live Once.” He sells his line, which includes shirts, hoodies, pants and shorts, online on Shopify and in-person at various events and markets. With the proceeds he has made from D.O.L.O., Amarr has been able to provide meals to homeless shelters and put on community events.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to partake in these entrepreneurial events this year,” Amarr said. “I've gained so much knowledge from AJ and going through this process. These events will help me become a ‘real deal’ entrepreneur upon graduation."
Bove, who majored in accounting at Westminster College, has had a wide range of business experience since graduating – both in working for others and in growing his own company which provided an odor-trapping solution for athletes who wear gloves.
After a few years working in various aspects of business, Bove felt his next step should be pursuing an MBA. As a Hempfield graduate, he found a good fit down the road at Seton Hill both in the business program and in his GA role.
As he got to know the students, AJ - who is specializing in project management - had a desire to leverage the existing strength of Seton Hill’s business program and the skills they are learning in the classroom to enhance the awareness and development of entrepreneurial opportunities on campus.
The first obstacle he had to overcome was getting students to recognize that the work they are doing could be considered entrepreneurial.
“There are students at Seton Hill that regularly exhibit the entrepreneurial spirit through their leadership in various clubs and organizations or even just on their own out of their dorm rooms,” Bove said. “But because of the regularity with which they take part in these activities, they may not realize the wider impact they can make with the skills they have. Providing additional opportunities throughout this semester was a new way to reach these students and show them just how awesome they are.”
AJ and Director of Student Leadership & Involvement Evan Ditty worked together, along with Assistant Professor of Business and Director of the Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities Lyzona Marshall and Vice President For Student Affairs & Athletics Rosalie Carpenter, to launch a three-part series focused on highlighting the Setonian entrepreneurial spirit.
The series launched at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester with a student business market highlighting student entrepreneurial endeavors of all kinds. Students then had the opportunity to host pop-up shops in Lowe Dining Hall during lunch. The series concluded with the first Griffin Impact Challenge, which featured 13 students presenting impact-focused ideas before a panel of judges, including Carpenter; Greensburg’s Director of Planning and Development Alec Italiano; Helen Keegan-Geroux, Vice President for the Greensburg Business and Professional Association (GBPA); and Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew.
Sophomore Amarr Barrie took part in all three events in the series throughout the spring.
Amarr designs all the clothing for his business D.O.L.O., which stands for “Die Once, Live Once.” He sells his line, which includes shirts, hoodies, pants and shorts, online on Shopify and in-person at various events and markets. With the proceeds he has made from D.O.L.O., Amarr has been able to provide meals to homeless shelters and put on community events.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to partake in these entrepreneurial events this year,” Amarr said. “I've gained so much knowledge from AJ and going through this process. These events will help me become a ‘real deal’ entrepreneur upon graduation."