SEBA Juniors Win Golis Entrepreneurial Scholarship

An award of $10,000 will go to both Christina Shubat, 20, and Kylie Vandenson, 21. The award is given to students with cumulative GPA's of 3.0 or higher who demonstrate an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit during their time at Saint Mary’s College.

What both students have in common is their desire to pursue entrepreneurship in business, as well as their ability to overcome obstacles to achieve success.

Vandenson, a transfer student from Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California who is currently majoring in business administration, received her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts Behavioral and Social Sciences. Having endured multiple periods of homelessness, Vandenson heard that she would be receiving the scholarship award while with her family. “They were so excited. My mom gave me a huge hug. My dad gave me a huge hug. Everyone was jumping up and down,” said Vandensen.

Vandenson said she will likely be applying the scholarship funds to her college tuition. “My family had a lot of financial instability when I was growing up. We suffered from the earlier recessions, in 2003 to 2004. I've bounced around a lot. When I wrote this application, I wrote it from a hotel lobby. I did not have housing at the time. This is very special for me,” she said. “This is a great opportunity.”

Her background has shaped her desire to help other disadvantaged individuals. Vandenson switched to business after she realized she could help people through business. “One thing that I've always wanted to do is create a non-profit organization that caters to women and victims of domestic violence. “In business, you can choose whatever you want to do,”  she said. “You create your own future, your own path to success. I think it's important to do something you're genuinely passionate about.”

Vandenson is waiting to hear back on a spring internship with Space X. In high school, she did her senior project at Los Lomas on how to run an ethical corporation, using her supervisor position at Starbucks as an example. “I was working full-time during my senior year of high school. They were able to make a special schedule for me where I got out at lunch every day and would work a full eight-hour shift afterwards.” She moved on to Chase bank, working as a bank teller on her way to branch manager, but then decided to pursue a business student internship at NASA in Southern California on the Edwards Airforce Base instead. “I did everything from help the onboarding process of all of the interns at the entire center, to leading tours of the center and outside of the center. I tracked student deliverables, including abstracts,” said Vandenson. She hopes to work for Space X in the future, in the office of education.

Christina Shubat has two concentrations, one in marketing and one in entrepreneurship, with a communications minor. Currently the vice president of Enactus on campus, she mentors middle and high school students on higher education opportunities, potential career path interests and financial aid applications to encourage them to pursue a better life.

Originally at Saint Mary’s as a number-one recruit for the women’s rowing team, her plans and dreams changed completely when she learned she had three bulging discs from rowing. Currently on medical disqualification, Shubat has now decided to pursue business, the road her parents both took. “I’ve realized that entrepreneurship is more of the mindset that I have. My mom does social media and marketing and I've been working with her since basically day one. She's been teaching me the ropes,” said Shubat.

Shubat has a passion for consulting. “I want to go into the healthcare field and change the way that people are given care in terms of their insurance companies,” she said. She also wants to work to make sure enough money, resources, and funding goes into mental health programs. "I personally think everyone should see a therapist. I think that it helps you understand who you are as a person and who you want to be. I also think it helps with your personal growth."

She hopes to someday work with Blue Shield, Kaiser or John Muir, working her way up to influencing how insurance companies operate, which might include getting a masters in Law, Management or Psychology.