Student Venture Pathways Welcomes New Staff and New Roles

We are very pleased to introduce new roles and new faces to our Student Venture Pathways team this semester!  In addition to bringing on additional team members, we have added new roles for Student Venture Pathways. This semester we are adding a Venture Development Assistant, Peer Coaches, and a Playshop Facilitator to our team. No matter where your entrepreneurial journey is headed, we have staff available to help.  Drop by one of our outreach events to meet them and learn how they can help you FORGE Your Future!

Emily Ruiz - Venture Development Graduate Assistant
Hometown: Madera, CA

• Emily received her B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Management and Business Economics from UC Merced. After experiences working for campus programs as an undergraduate, she is pursuing a Master's in Higher Education. Emily is excited to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Emily will provide leadership for the Venture Development team, manage the Venturing 101 administrative processes, and work to create a new cohort program.
• "Entrepreneurial mindset means bringing your ideas and creativity to life! Everyone's entrepreneurial mindset is different and FORGE is here as an added resource to bringing those ideas to reality."

Maisam Jafri - Peer Venture Coach
Hometown: Milpitas, CA

• Maisam is an MD/Ph.D. student. Maisam founded and currently directs a non-profit organization that provides multi-stage water purification systems for areas in need. He is also a Managing Director for Nucleate Arizona, part of an international non-profit organization, where he gains business and sales experience. His favorite thing about the university is the push for innovation and discovery. Maisam loves playing sports in his spare time. As a Peer Venture Coach, Maisim will utilize his experience and knowledge as a student founder to provide coaching and support to aspiring student founders through consultations.
• "Entrepreneurial mindset means ideation with commercial potential and the ability to form the right team to accomplish the company's goals."

Lucas Lauricella -  Peer Venture Coach
Hometown: Clayton, CA

• Lucas is a senior studying business. He is also the co-founder of Lucid Leaf. During his sophomore year, he held positions with numerous CPG companies such as Coca-Cola and General Mills. In addition to building Lucid Leaf, Lucas works for Apple and helps run the Campus Leader Program. He looks forward to connecting with ambitious peers and helping cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset.  As a Peer Venture Coach, Lucas will utilize his experience and knowledge as a student founder to provide coaching and support to aspiring student founders through consultations.
• "I view the entrepreneurial mindset as the observation of what you notice in the world, combined with the reflection of how you can help shape it and improve it."

Brach Drew - Playshop Facilitator
Hometown: Tempe, AZ

• Brach is a senior studying BFA Musical Theatre with a minor in Spanish. Brach aims to be proficient in singing, dancing, and acting to connect to people without language barriers. Brach’s favorite thing about the University of Arizona is how the campus location fosters a unique community. When not working, Brach prioritizes rest and projects in songwriting and content creation. As Playshop Facilitator, Brach joins the Playshop team to expand our offerings of Playshops to more students across campus and develop more experiences.
• "To me, the entrepreneurial mindset means knowing who you are and what you have to offer the world."

Maryam Heydarifar - SVP Assistant
Hometown: Savannah, GA

• Maryam is a junior majoring in Public Health. Maryam hopes to raise awareness in the community regarding easily preventable diseases that are still be prevalent due to a lack of awareness. Her favorite thing about the University of Arizona is the people and how everyone together is a big community of diverse people. In her spare time, Maryam likes to spend time with her friends, as well as make trips to Scented Leaf.  
• "An entrepreneurial mindset means having the skills and capacity to recognize when there is an opportunity given that one is able to take advantage of, as well as identify and appropriately respond to any setbacks that come from that opportunity."

Eloise Standifer - SVP  Assistant
Hometown: Tucson, AZ

• Eloise is a senior majoring in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law with a double major in Economics. She is an aspiring community advocate and an artist. Eloise likes hanging out with friends, gardening, or crafting in her spare time.
• "The entrepreneurial mindset speaks to me because of the versatility it provides in meeting different people’s strengths. Everyone can grow an entrepreneurial mindset. To me, it means allowing my passion to be louder than my fear and to be resilient and innovative in the face of adversity."