Thursday, March 26, 2026
photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor
During a "Voices of Entrepreneurship" event developed and managed by Penn College business administration students, Erin S. Shultz, manager of LaunchBox operations (left) and Chelsea Blair, a business consultant for the Penn State Small Business Development Center, discuss the resources available to those on campus and in the community who want to start or expand a small business.
Business administration students enrolled in the Event Management & Coordination class recently hosted “Voices of Entrepreneurship,” an event they developed to present the expertise of alumni business owners and small-business-development experts to students and the community.
Five guests offered short talks in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium, sharing how and why the started their own business, along with tips and challenges.
The speaker line-up:
Their talks were followed by questions from a highly engaged student audience.
Penn College “Voices of Entrepreneurship” presenters answer a wealth of student questions. From left: Melyce E. Kenyon ’17, Justin M. Rinehimer ’17 and ’18, John Yogodzinski ’07, Chelsea Blair and Erin Shultz.
Sierra N. Klinger, of Klingerstown, who was co-master of ceremonies for the event with classmate Virginia R. Yost, of Lancaster, said the class chose the topic because of the wealth of alumni who have started their own businesses, and because it appeals to a broad range of people.
“This topic is for everyone,” she said. “As a student, when I talk to others, I hear many mentions that they started their own small business and would like to make it larger. With all these factors, we decided entrepreneurship is the perfect topic!”
In addition to what they learned from the speakers, Klinger said she and classmates also practiced many “soft skills” required to manage a successful event.
“This experience has taught our class that setting up a campus event requires time management skills and communication to ensure our speakers are properly informed,” she said. “Also, from a marketing standpoint, we realized how crucial spreading the word is for attendance, which included talking to students and professors ourselves and hanging posters around campus. We also realized that our first and even second ideas did not always work, so being adaptable and resilient were skills learned during our experience hosting this event.”
The class is working on its next project, an April 7 networking event that brings together Penn College business and hospitality students and employers looking to hire them.
To learn more about the college's business administration degree, call 570-327-4505.
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