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== <span style="font-size:larger;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Nick Blaney</span></span> ==

<span style="font-size:larger;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I am a&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px;">senior in the</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: larger;">&nbsp;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 of house. 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.</span>