College starts Social Venture

Eight Wheaton students spent the summer learning how to impact the world through social entrepreneurship as the first cohort selected for The John and Kendra Malloy Social Venture Scholars internship program.

The new full-time, paid internship program places rising sophomores, juniors and seniors in summer internships with entrepreneurial ventures having a social impact in Providence, R.I. It was established through the philanthropic support of the Malloys, who are the parents of a Class of 2022 graduate. Kendra Malloy also is a member of the Wheaton Board of Trustees.

Chris Bennett ’23, Ariel Ferreira ’24, Sara Giraldo ’24, Jack Luyrink ’23, Julianne Morse ’24, Khushi Parikh ’25, Xiulie Perry ’24 and Jacob Veilleux ’24 were selected as Social Venture Scholars based on their outstanding academic achievement, on- and off-campus leadership experiences and commitment to the intersection of business and social impact, said Imran Chowdhury, Diana Davis Spencer chair of social entrepreneurship, who oversees the program.

“They all share a common interest in making the world a better place by creating positive impact through social enterprise, entrepreneurship and business,” said Chowdhury, associate professor of business and management.

For example, Ferreira, who is double majoring in business and management and political science, said she wants to create an enterprise that helps those in need break the cycle of poverty. She interned as a workforce development intern at Amos House in Providence, which is a nonprofit that serves those without homes, those who are unemployed and individuals living in poverty.

“My long-term goal is to have a career path where I can work toward creating innovative change to help diminish poverty and income inequality,” said Ferreira, who is president of the Social Impact and Innovation Club at Wheaton.

“I firmly believe that this internship experience is one of my first steps down this path as I am learning more about the population I hope to work with firsthand on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

The program gives Wheaton students an opportunity to gain work experience in a startup or social enterprise environment while receiving mentorship and support from their host supervisors and building skills in many areas of expertise.

The college partnered with Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) in Providence, which managed placements for students, arranged networking opportunities and coordinated seminars designed to help