SOAR Initiative

WISE program launches to empower entrepreneurs in Fairfax County

Katelynn C Hipolito — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:13:11 +0000

WISE program launches to empower entrepreneurs in Fairfax County Katelynn C Hipolito Wed, 08/27/2025 - 10:13

On Saturday, August 9, the WISE program officially launched at the Hybla Valley Community Center in Alexandria, Virginia—marking a significant milestone in advancing entrepreneurship and workforce development for aspiring entrepreneurs in Fairfax County.

A key component of the SOAR Initiative, the Workforce Innovation Success through Entrepreneurship (WISE) program is spearheaded by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) within the Costello College of Business at �鶹��Ƶ. This initiative is made possible through a strategic partnership with Melwood, the W.I.S.H. Center, and the Fairfax County government. Thanks to this powerful collaboration, the WISE program is offered to participants completely free of charge.

Costello College of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé (left) chats with current RISE participants Fershta-Barakzai (middle) and Madina Barakzai (right). Photo by John Boal Photography.

Ajay Vinzé, dean of the Costello College of Business, opened the event by emphasizing the power of entrepreneurship to solve problems, build communities, and drive economic growth. “A successful entrepreneur takes an idea, builds a company around it, and makes it profitable,” he said.

The college, named after local entrepreneur Donald G. Costello, is deeply rooted in the belief that entrepreneurship is a vehicle for social impact and upward mobility.

With initiatives like the Patriot Ventures Program, the Honey Bee Initiative, and the Patriot Pitch Competition, CIE equips aspiring entrepreneurs with essential training, mentorship, and resources. The center is distinguished for its commitment to opening doors for those traditionally excluded from the entrepreneurship ecosystem through these core programs and the SOAR Initiative.

In addition to WISE, which supports Fairfax County residents, SOAR includes two other targeted efforts: one focused on building entrepreneurial ecosystems in rural and emerging communities, and the other supporting refugees and immigrants through strategic partnerships. The latter, known as the Shrivastava Family Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship (RISE) program, has already had 79 participants complete the entrepreneurship bootcamp training, with approximately 42 new jobs and 17 new businesses created so far.

WISE program leadership and implementation team celebrates ribbon cutting with RISE and WISE program participants. Photo by John Boal Photography.

Rodney Lusk, supervisor of the Franconia District within Fairfax County, was instrumental in envisioning the possibilities for the WISE program. His commitment to make Fairfax County a place where community members can truly thrive is deeply appreciated by the Costello College of Business and all the program stakeholders. On hand to give remarks, along with Dean Vinzé, were Larysa Kautz, CEO and president of Melwood; Yolonda Earl-Thompson, community expert and lived experience consultant; Eboni Borden, W.I.S.H. program director; Andres Jordan, WISE program entrepreneurship training instructor; and Rebecca Howick, director of operations and engagement at CIE.

“Our partnership with Melwood, the W.I.S.H Center, and Fairfax County is an incredible opportunity to expand our social impact within the region,” says Howick.

“The SOAR Initiative’s holistic approach to small business development creates new pipelines for community members that aren’t already part of the ecosystem. We are revitalizing hope, transforming lives, and boosting our economy."

— Rebecca Howick, director of operations and engagement at the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The launch of the WISE program marks a powerful step forward in harnessing the transformative potential of entrepreneurship rooted in community. By uniting visionary leaders, strategic partners, and leveraging internal and external entrepreneurial resources, this initiative empowers individuals to shape their own futures while strengthening the fabric of the region. As the SOAR Initiative continues to expand its reach, it reaffirms a vital truth: when entrepreneurship is made accessible, it becomes a force for resilience and shared prosperity.

In This Story

Ajay Vinzé

Rebecca Howick

Topics

SOAR Initiative

Costello College of Business News

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Research

entrepreneurship

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Launches the SOAR Initiative

Marianne Klinker — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:07:05 +0000

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Launches the SOAR Initiative Marianne Klinker Mon, 09/25/2023 - 10:07

The business school’s SOAR Initiative is a critical building block in �鶹��Ƶ’s efforts to advance social mobility, or an individual’s ability to improve their socioeconomic status. U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2024 ranks �鶹��Ƶ #1 on social mobility among public universities in Virginia.

On Saturday, September 9, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Business launched its new inclusive entrepreneurship training initiative, SOAR. The grand launch took place from 11 a.m. to noon at the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) Resource Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The SOAR Initiative provides resources and training for aspiring entrepreneurs who are refugees and immigrants, currently in a low socioeconomic status, or residing in rural and emerging communities. Joining �鶹��Ƶ faculty and staff at the event were donors, mentors, community partners, and LSSNCA staff and volunteers.

Hasib Satary speaks at the SOAR launch event.

Becky Howick, CIE director of operations and engagement, welcomed attendees and thanked SOAR’s partners and contributors. She spoke about the first cohort of the initiative—the Shrivastava Family Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship (RISE) program participants. Recognizing that many of them were already successful entrepreneurs in their countries of origin, she said, “The courageous people participating in this program have been referred to us through their LSSNCA employment coordinators. They have been identified as ready to take on this next chapter in life and realize their vision for the future.” Howick then introduced Hasib Satary, director of employment services for LSSNCA, which is a strategic partner in this initiative. He spoke about the history and functions of his organization, including their vision to create a more inclusive community of well-being where people thrive. LSSNCA accompanies those in need along their journey to foster resiliency, self-sufficiency, and access to opportunities by creating, connecting with, and engaging welcoming communities. 

Dean Ajay Vinzé and Pranav Shrivastava

Following Satary’s remarks, Howick introduced Dean Ajay Vinzé to the podium. Dean Vinzé outlined why the initiative is so important and why the school’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the best place to house it. He also spoke of its intended impact on the region and participating communities. “Communities reap the benefit of entrepreneurship because it fosters innovation, promotes economic development, and creates jobs,” he said. Pranav Shrivastava, an economics student at �鶹��Ƶ and son of Sumeet Shrivastava, MBA ‘94, also attended the event. Dean Vinzé shared a statement from Sumeet about the family’s history of immigration and entrepreneurism, emphasizing that the SOAR Initiative aligns with their own values and vision of giving back to the community. Dean Vinzé then presented Pranav Shrivastava with an award to recognize the transformative gift from the Shrivastava Family Foundation, which has made the RISE program possible.

Crystal Fickers, CIE associate director and instructor for the RISE Program, shared her story of running multiple businesses, many of them overseas, and working directly with refugees and asylum seekers. “The SOAR Initiative is a different type of program,” she said. “We will not be teaching academic theory. This program will be a unique and inclusive business incubator where we walk hand in hand with participants to start their businesses and ensure that it is profitable enough to positively impact their personal or family income.” She spoke about a refugee from Afghanistan that participated in an entrepreneurship training program she ran through her business in Australia. As a shy teenager, Jamshid fled violence in his home country and arrived in Australia unsure of how to overcome the challenges he faced. Through mentorship and hard work, he excelled and became an entrepreneur running a barista certification business. “His story is a testament to the incredible impact that such a training program can have on an individual,” said Fickers.

Mohammad Rafiq Katawazai speaks at the SOAR launch event.

Mohammad Rafiq Katawazai concluded the scheduled remarks by speaking from the heart on how excited he is that the RISE Program will empower him to continue developing his business ideas. All of the morning’s speakers shared the excitement in what this inclusive SOAR Initiative will mean for community members, �鶹��Ƶ, and the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Also in attendance was JK Aier, senior associate dean for academic affairs and global engagement at the School of Business, who has played a vital role in developing this new initiative and has been a key contributor to the strategic vision and formation of partnerships to power its success. “The SOAR Initiative provides a holistic model for launching and managing a business, including a Startup approach to developing an entrepreneurial mindset, Opportunities for community building and business engagement, Access to mentoring, and a Roadmap to successful outcomes,” said Aier. “What distinguishes this entrepreneurial program from others is its focus on diversity and inclusivity, which are both pillars of the �鶹��Ƶ brand.”

The grand launch of the SOAR Initiative is a monumental step forward for the School of Business and its focus on advancing social mobility. The initiative’s innovative format facilitates the transformation of aspiring entrepreneurs and their families who face longstanding structural inequities in accessing training and support resources. The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is truly living up to its name, making a difference in empowering entrepreneurs and driving growth of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is currently recruiting additional volunteer mentors for these aspiring entrepreneurs. Visit the SOAR Initiative webpage to learn how you can get engaged or donate to the program.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Learn more about the SOAR Initiative

In This Story

Shrivastava Family Makes Gift to RISE Program in Support of Refugee and Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Marianne Klinker — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 15:55:51 +0000

Shrivastava Family Makes Gift to RISE Program in Support of Refugee and Immigrant Entrepreneurs Marianne Klinker Fri, 08/11/2023 - 11:55

With an enrollment representing 130 different countries, �鶹��Ƶ is a welcoming and supportive institution for students from a wide variety of cultures. The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), within �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Business, plays upon the strength of diversity and inclusion by bringing together ideas and perspectives for real solutions that serve the local business community and the world at large.

This fall, they are launching the RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship) Program as a cohort of the center’s SOAR Initiative. Over the span of 11 months each year, the SOAR Initiative is an inclusive entrepreneurship training and support resource for community members. SOAR provides a holistic model for startups and empowers individuals who do not currently have adequate access to entrepreneurship training opportunities. RISE, in particular, focuses its support on aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. The SOAR Initiative will also be introducing programs for aspiring entrepreneurs who are currently in a low socio-economic status, as well as a cohort for people living within rural and emerging communities.

Sumeet Shrivastava, MBA ‘94

The RISE Program and SOAR Initiative are important elements of Dean Ajay Vinzé’s vision for the School of Business. Dean Vinzé joined �鶹��Ƶ in July 2022 and quickly got acclimated by meeting with leaders of the community, including Sumeet Shrivastava, MBA ‘94. “As Dean Vinzé came in and presented his vision of the next stage of entrepreneurship education at the School of Business, all the pieces started fitting together,” says Shrivastava, “as it represented many elements of the story of my parents’ journey as immigrants and entrepreneurs.” In a gesture that proved instrumental to the development of RISE, he and his family have presented a gift of $1.5M to the program.

“Most universities and business schools in the U.S. have a center for entrepreneurship – what makes the programs of our SOAR Initiative unique is our focus on inclusive entrepreneurship education,” says Dean Vinzé. “RISE, with its focus on refugees and immigrants, is the first of three programs we are launching to support aspiring entrepreneurs who face longstanding structural inequities in accessing entrepreneurship training and support resources. I am grateful to Sumeet Shrivastava and his family for their continued generosity in supporting our business school’s vision of facilitating the transformation of entrepreneurs, their families, and our local economies through entrepreneurship.”

Shrivastava, a leader in the government IT industry, has been a resident of Fairfax County for 50 years, about as long as �鶹��Ƶ has been an independent university. He’s witnessed the growth and has acted as a catalyst for much of it as a committed board member, donor, and volunteer for the School of Business and �鶹��Ƶ. He is excited to see the program’s focus on encouraging members of the refugee and immigrant communities, who have shown interest in entrepreneurship, to pursue their passions. He also acknowledges that many of them are already entrepreneurs at heart. “The folks who are coming from very difficult situations, are already showing some of the core attributes required of entrepreneurs – courage, resilience, and expertise from their prior lives,” he says. “We can help them get a quicker start into that part of their journey here and help them succeed.”

Consisting of entrepreneurship training, mentorship with an entrepreneur, and consultation with �鶹��Ƶ Honors College students, RISE will equip participants with the knowledge and support they need to change the trajectory of their lives and those of their families. School of Business community members have the opportunity to play an integral role in their success by serving as mentors. Mentors will connect with participants every other week in individualized meetings to empower them and offer guidance from their own experiences. By working together and supporting each other’s successes, the School of Business team aims to facilitate the transformation of refugees and immigrants, their families, and our local economies by empowering them with the ability to thrive at all levels. The program will be a key component of the �鶹��Ƶ Virginia Promise to provide a pathway to a bachelor’s degree or the help to start a business for every Virginian who wants one. Together, �鶹��Ƶ is working to revitalize the American Dream. If you would like to lend your support to the RISE Program or the SOAR Initiative, please contact soar@gmu.edu.

The CIE is proud to partner with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area and the Notre Dame Urban Poverty Business Initiative on the SOAR Initiative and RISE Program.

Topics

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

SOAR Initiative

RISE Program

Costello College of Business News

Campus News

Alumni

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Learn more about RISE

In This Story

Ajay Vinzé

Sumeet Shrivastava, '94