Their Stories
Here are the stories of students who took Virtual Enterprise, excelled in it, and then took their talents gained from this class into the real world.
Stephanie Machuca - Class of 2016
Positions in VE -
CEO - Trifecta
PR - Xeriscapes
Current Job - Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft
"Virtual Enterprise has had a strong impact on where I am today. The program helped me learn the business fundamentals I have carried with me through college and now my full-time role. It has also allowed me to grow into a more confident young woman and grow out of my comfort zone through the presentations I prepared for and the relationships I built with my classmates and mentors. I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of this program!"
Positions in VE -
CEO - Trifecta
PR - Xeriscapes
Current Job - Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft
"Virtual Enterprise has had a strong impact on where I am today. The program helped me learn the business fundamentals I have carried with me through college and now my full-time role. It has also allowed me to grow into a more confident young woman and grow out of my comfort zone through the presentations I prepared for and the relationships I built with my classmates and mentors. I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of this program!"
Matthew Betz - Class of 2016
Positions in VE -
CEO - Nocogo
Current Job - Staff Accountant
"Virtual Enterprise prepared me for the workforce by creating a foundation for highly desired life skills."
Positions in VE -
CEO - Nocogo
Current Job - Staff Accountant
"Virtual Enterprise prepared me for the workforce by creating a foundation for highly desired life skills."
Erika Pohlman - Class of 2015
Positions in VE-
Bank Manager- Xeriscapes
Current Job- Financial Business Systems Analyst
"Virtual Enterprise helped create a foundation of business principles that I would ultimately apply to college and the real world."
Positions in VE-
Bank Manager- Xeriscapes
Current Job- Financial Business Systems Analyst
"Virtual Enterprise helped create a foundation of business principles that I would ultimately apply to college and the real world."
Adrienne Novak- Class of 2015
Positions in VE-
VP of HR
VP of Marketing
College Attended: Boston University
Current Job- Technical Analyst at Brandwatch
"VE helped guide my decision on my major and gave me experience with consumer behavior and research."
Positions in VE-
VP of HR
VP of Marketing
College Attended: Boston University
Current Job- Technical Analyst at Brandwatch
"VE helped guide my decision on my major and gave me experience with consumer behavior and research."
Stephanie Quan- Class of 2014
Positions in VE-
DTC
College Attended: University of Redlands
Current Job- Teacher
"Virtual enterprise taught me time management, professionalism, and invaluable people skills."
Positions in VE-
DTC
College Attended: University of Redlands
Current Job- Teacher
"Virtual enterprise taught me time management, professionalism, and invaluable people skills."
Chelsey Lerma- Class of 2011
Positions in VE-
VP of HR
College Attended: Cal Poly Pomona
Current Job- Corporate Partnership Sales, Dallas Cowboys
"Virtual Enterprise helped me prepare and understand the direction I needed to go heading into college. It directed me into a Business Major. It taught me the basics of organization and time management. It showed me that I was able to be a leader. It prepared me for professional work attire. All may have been small at the time, but did lay the groundwork for my future."
Positions in VE-
VP of HR
College Attended: Cal Poly Pomona
Current Job- Corporate Partnership Sales, Dallas Cowboys
"Virtual Enterprise helped me prepare and understand the direction I needed to go heading into college. It directed me into a Business Major. It taught me the basics of organization and time management. It showed me that I was able to be a leader. It prepared me for professional work attire. All may have been small at the time, but did lay the groundwork for my future."
Omar Ayoub - Class of 2014
Positions in VE-
VP of Sales
College Attended: MBA at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts 2022, BBA at California State University San Marcos 2019
Current Job- Transitioning to become a Military Officer once completing MBA degree. Previous 7 years total of experience in Sales, and Management from the time of my last semester in highschool in 2014 until 2020, before starting my MBA.
"Has impacted me based on a successful approach of understanding business at a younger age during highschool. In my analysis Virtual Enterprise it was more effective than the Senior Experience program I took during my Bachelor's degree. Reasoning in Senior Experience, we assisted a real business with their tasks and duties. In VE, students have to think of how to create a virtual business, and develop ideas of how to articulate departments like an actual company. I found the experience of having to think effectively of ideas with the class to create a business was more substantial and benefited me having a basic understanding of business before the real world."
Positions in VE-
VP of Sales
College Attended: MBA at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts 2022, BBA at California State University San Marcos 2019
Current Job- Transitioning to become a Military Officer once completing MBA degree. Previous 7 years total of experience in Sales, and Management from the time of my last semester in highschool in 2014 until 2020, before starting my MBA.
"Has impacted me based on a successful approach of understanding business at a younger age during highschool. In my analysis Virtual Enterprise it was more effective than the Senior Experience program I took during my Bachelor's degree. Reasoning in Senior Experience, we assisted a real business with their tasks and duties. In VE, students have to think of how to create a virtual business, and develop ideas of how to articulate departments like an actual company. I found the experience of having to think effectively of ideas with the class to create a business was more substantial and benefited me having a basic understanding of business before the real world."
McKenna Niell - Class of 2015
Positions in VE-
CEO- Xeriscapes
College Attended: Mercy College Business Honors Program
Current Job- Wealth Strategy Associate at UBS Financial Services, Inc.
"My involvement in VE transformed my career trajectory in ways I never imagined possible. The network of Fortune 500 professionals and universities tied to this program connected me with a scholarship to the Business Honors Program at Mercy College. I was able to leverage that which the program had taught me in job interviews, networking opportunities, and in my undergrad coursework to stand out among my peers. The real-world experiences simulated daily and in competitions allowed me to begin college with the advantage of having the professional skills and confidence necessary to land an internship in New York City within the first semester of Freshman year. By my third year in college, I was interning in the headquarters office of UBS Financial Services in Wealth Management. VE empowered me with the knowledge, skills, and values I needed to thrive in my career. I am thankful for the foundational skills that I gained from my dedication to the program. I truly believe that VE has been one of my most pivotal life experiences thus far."
Positions in VE-
CEO- Xeriscapes
College Attended: Mercy College Business Honors Program
Current Job- Wealth Strategy Associate at UBS Financial Services, Inc.
"My involvement in VE transformed my career trajectory in ways I never imagined possible. The network of Fortune 500 professionals and universities tied to this program connected me with a scholarship to the Business Honors Program at Mercy College. I was able to leverage that which the program had taught me in job interviews, networking opportunities, and in my undergrad coursework to stand out among my peers. The real-world experiences simulated daily and in competitions allowed me to begin college with the advantage of having the professional skills and confidence necessary to land an internship in New York City within the first semester of Freshman year. By my third year in college, I was interning in the headquarters office of UBS Financial Services in Wealth Management. VE empowered me with the knowledge, skills, and values I needed to thrive in my career. I am thankful for the foundational skills that I gained from my dedication to the program. I truly believe that VE has been one of my most pivotal life experiences thus far."