Fellow:Nick Blaney

"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." - Dale Carnegie

I am a senior in the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Riverside. Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, my mother brought me into the kitchen when I was seven years old. Early in life, I learned the limitless creativity one can achieve when cooking. I started working in a restaurant when I was 14 years old. Overall, I have spent 13 years in the hospitality industry, seven of which are full time. During that time, I have worked in every single position albeit manager, in both the front and back ofhouse. As a teenager, I watched my father create and successfully operate his own business. My grandfather, uncle, and dad are, or were, self-employed. In a sense, entrepreneurship runs in my blood. As I grew older, this calling became stronger and stronger. In 2013, I decided to return to school to obtain my education so that I may pursue career aspirations of creating my own enterprise or working with a group of people in a startup. One principle my mother and father both taught me was the importance of civic engagement. Growing up, I volunteered for the Harvest Project with my mother, where we assisted disenfranchised families and individuals by delivering goods around the holiday season. In addition, I helped organize fundraising events and volunteered for Housing for Young Adults with Disabilities, along with my dad. Over the years, I have learned that civic engagement is the foundation of being a contributing member of society. In the future, I hope to combine my love for cooking, inherent entrepreneurial spirit, and belief that it is a person's responsibility to consciously create a positive impact on his or her community.