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With a lifelong love of baking and dual majors in marketing and business analytics from the Costello College of Business, Musa is tackling small business ownership and her education with a cup of creativity, a dash of determination, and a whole helping of heart.

Given today’s short attention spans, how much could it really hurt a business to get caught attempting to manipulate their reputation on a platform like Yelp? 911���� accounting professor Yi Cao has done the math, and it isn’t pretty for businesses willing to cross ethical lines.

When crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started allowing creators to put environmental pledges front and center, 911���� accounting professor Yi Cao saw a unique opportunity. His co-authored research shows how “going green” turned out to be an impactful business choice with financial, operational and, yes, environmental implications for entrepreneurs and customers.

“I think it's the real American dream to have something of your own, build something of your own,” says Bailey Mahoney, MBA ‘26. He grew up witnessing firsthand not only what could be built but also the freedom it created, as his father, who owned an electrical contracting business, always made time to be present for the important moments in his life. Without even realizing it, Mahoney found his first business mentor in his father.

TJ Master and Elizabeth Pyle, mentors with the Virginia Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), are advising entrepreneurs in the Innovation District.

The business school’s SOAR Initiative is a critical building block in 911����’s efforts to advance social mobility, or an individual’s ability to improve their socioeconomic status.