Zachary DaSilva-Grondin on Finding Community and Inspiration Within the Enlight Fellowship
Sign up for notifications about the Enlight Fellowship Summer 2026! Zachary DaSilva-Grondin (Sargent’28) began his summer feeling exhausted. Fresh off a medical brigade in Guatemala, he entered the Enlight Fellowship unsure of what to expect. But, by the end, the community he found reshaped his perspective on his role in tackling some of the […]
Introducing the Fall 2025 Innovate@BU Student Ambassadors!
At Innovate@BU, we believe that innovation thrives when fueled by curiosity, passion, and collaboration. That’s why we’re excited to introduce our student ambassadors—your go-to peers for all things Innovate@BU. These ambassadors are more than just student representatives, they’re experienced innovators who have been in your shoes. Our ambassadors can answer questions to help you get […]
Patricia Porekuu on Empowering Ghanaian Women with Financial Literacy
Sign up for notifications about the Enlight Fellowship Summer 2026! Patricia Porekuu is a seasoned development practitioner from Ghana with over 15 years of experience in HIV, TB, and malaria programs, and she has spent her career educating and supporting underserved communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. When she arrived at Boston University’s School of Public […]
Riya Sandler Starts Conversations About Cord Blood Donations with her Enlight Fellowship Venture
Sign up for notifications about the Enlight Fellowship Summer 2026! Riya Sandler (Sargent’27) spent her summer splitting her time between the labor and delivery floor of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the innovation lab at Innovate@BU. Through the Enlight Fellowship, she combined her clinical interests with her entrepreneurial drive to launch a new venture aimed […]
Enlight Fellowship Opens Doors for Political Science Major Hannah Martin
When Hannah Martin (CAS’25) first stumbled upon the Enlight Fellowship application, she had little knowledge of entrepreneurship or innovation. A political science and English major with pre-law aspirations, Hannah viewed social impact primarily through a policy lens. Yet that random online discovery would change not only her summer plans but her entire career trajectory. “My […]
Communiti Connects Students to Campus Life Through Innovative Platform
Finding your community on a college campus can be challenging. With hundreds of clubs, events, and activities scattered across multiple platforms, many students struggle to discover opportunities that align with their interests. This is the problem that Communiti, founded by Uzochi Nzerem (MET’26), Ananya Agarwal (CAS’25), Eugene Jung (CAS’26), Venessa Maduka (ENG’26), and Jacky Lin […]
Leon Lin is Bringing Juiceless Juice to the Bartending Scene
Leon has been recognized as the 2025 School of Hospitality Administration Student Innovator of the Year! When Jiayou “Leon” Lin (SHA’24) was working as a bartender both in the United States and abroad, one task consistently dampened his enthusiasm for the job: juicing citrus before each shift. That frustration sparked an idea that would eventually […]
Luca Pungan’s Biosensors are Driving the Future of Reproductive Health
Luca has been recognized as the 2025 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Student Innovator of the Year! When Luca Pungan (ENG’25) transferred to Boston University as a sophomore, he found himself playing catch-up with his peers. Originally a molecular biology major, he switched to biomedical engineering and spent his early years at BU taking freshman-level classes […]
Prianna Sharan (CAS’25) Named Student Innovator of the Year for Social Connection App
Computer science student Prianna Sharan (CAS’25) never planned to become an entrepreneur when she arrived at Boston University from California. Yet her desire for creative autonomy and a chance meeting with Remi Chester (Questrom’25) during her first week at BU Splash would change that trajectory entirely. Now the co-founder and CTO of Popple—a social media […]
Orobor is Recycling Tennis String into a Stylish Solution
When Jakob Esterowitz (ENG’27) noticed his clothing manufacturer overseas was reluctant to disclose where materials came from, he began investigating on his own. What he discovered was startling: 10% of global carbon emissions come from polyester clothing production, and more than 24 million pounds of polyester tennis strings end up in landfills annually—where they remain […]