University Innovation Fellows
Under the guidance and leadership of Dr. John Hannon, Founding Director of the Brook T. Smith Launchpad, Student Entrepreneurs at Clemson University can apply for the highly prestigious University Innovation Fellows program. This program empowers student leaders to increase campus engagement through design, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. University Innovation Fellows is run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.
University Innovation Fellows’ organizers wrote in a press release that the program aims to empower students to become agents of change at their schools. “Fellows work to ensure that all students gain the attitudes, skills and knowledge required to navigate a complex world and build the future,” according to the release. “These student leaders from schools around the globe create opportunities to help their peers build the creative confidence, agency, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to address global challenges.
“Fellows create student innovation spaces, start entrepreneurship organizations, facilitate experiential workshops, work with faculty and administrators to develop new courses, and much more. They serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders, lending the much-needed student voice to the conversations about the future of higher education.”
Clemson University is proud to have three students accepted into the 2023-2024 program. The students are Megan DeGrezia, majoring in marketing and minoring in entrepreneurship; Hayden Roof, majoring in computer science; and Brianna Sebastian-Olazabal, majoring in mechanical engineering.
Dr. John Hannon, Launchpad Director, said the fellows are not just pursuing degrees but also actively shaping the future of higher education.
“The University Innovation Fellows program will help them gain the skills and mindset needed to address global challenges and contribute to lasting institutional change. We congratulate Megan, Hayden, and Brianna for their commitment to building a more innovative and dynamic academic community at Clemson.”
Dr. John HannonLaunchpad Director
Innovation Fellow Representatives
Our 2023-2024 representatives from Clemson University are very bright and intelligent students. We are excited to have these students participate in the program.
Megan DeGrezia
Megan is a Marketing student who is minoring in Entrepreneurship. She has a strong passion for leadership and entrepreneurship. Megan is a current Chapman Leadership Scholar and is proud to be a part of the Honors College at Clemson University.
Brianna Sebastian-Olazabal
Brianna is a Mechanical Engineering student minoring in Sustainability and plans to attend graduate school after her undergraduate degree. She wants to work in research and development for clean and renewable energy technology. She hopes to contribute towards successfully integrating clean energy alternatives into the infrastructure of countries around the globe.
Hayden Roof
Hayden is a Computer Science major with a minor in Spanish Studies. In his first year at Clemson, he participated in SPARK! through the Honors College Dixon Junior Fellows program, which led him to be nominated and become a University Innovation Fellow. Outside of attending classes,, his hobbies include hiking/being outdoors and all things related to cars.
More Info on how to apply
Students interested in applying for the University Innovation Fellows Program can visit the University Innovation Fellows website to learn more about the program.
Applications are accepted by invitation only in the Spring of each year. Once an invitation has been extended, invited students must:
- Complete the student application
- Provide three email addresses of peers or mentors who will be invited to complete a letter of support on behalf of the student applying.
Interviews are conducted in late Spring or early Summer of the submission year. If accepted, the Clemson University Representative(s) must complete online training between August and October. A meet-up trip is held in the Spring of the following year. Previous trips have gone to the Netherlands and India!
If you have an interest in this program at Clemson or any questions, please contact Operations Manager Pam Holladay at pdholla@clemson.edu or 864-656-5882.
