Eastern Michigan University seniors Kyle Wilkinson and Alex Lombard plan to launch a new club in the 2015 fall semester called “The Young Professionals.” An introductory session was held Thursday evening in the Tower Room at McKinney Hall.
The group will concentrate on spreading an entrepreneurial mindset across campus by mentoring and helping students to realize and achieve their goals – whatever they might be.
“Our mission statement is to connect and develop the next generation of leaders who share the common desire to leave the world a better place,” Wilkinson said. “One thing we really focus on is the mindset.”
The idea was born out of a similar club that senior Luke Hessler established in the fall 2014 semester at Michigan State University.
“We want to build a foundation, because the goal is to start this club at every college campus all across the country,” Hessler said.
The presentation featured a company, VEMMA, which Hessler has found personal success with, but he said that the club would support any endeavor that an individual has an interest in pursuing.
“The goal is to show people the connections that they need to take it to the next level,” Hessler said.
Students from EMU as well as other colleges were in attendance looking for ways to recognize their potential for success.
“I’m interested in starting my own business and being my own boss,” Jacqueline Henderson, EMU nursing intent student, said. “I’d like to start some kind of mentoring program, so I’m hoping to gain tips on how to get started.”
“I came here for a business opportunity,” Lauren McKown said. “I’m a business major at Kent State and I thought this would be a good opportunity to expand and network as much as I possibly can.”
Lombard said the club’s objective is to help as many students as possible to find a way to accomplish their dreams and pursue their desires. Whether they want to be some sort of artist, work at a big company like Apple or Google, travel the world or simply realize what it is that they want out of life, the club will be there to help.
“We want to create a culture of likeminded positive individuals to come together and kind of have one big giant mastermind to help each other pursue our dreams,” Lombard said. “We’re still in the process of coming up with a lot of different things we can do week to week. A lot of it will be going out there and doing things with the community. You know, being full of gratitude and helping other people as well.”
He also said that a large part of success is building a mindset and having accountability for your own future. One thing he said that the club would drive home is the importance of having accountability partners, because having support is critical for motivation and momentum.
“It’s not just hard work,” he said. “It’s in the head as well.”
For more information about joining The Young Professionals, contact Kyle Wilkinson at 734-664-3575 or kwilki11@emich.edu.
