The panel drew dozens to the event, as its speakers discussed their inspiration, how they prioritize their mental health while building businesses and what resources they recommend for other young people looking to make a difference.
One panelist, Gabrielle Foreman, ’21, is the founder and CEO of Secondary Success and Beyond. She graduated summa cum laude with university honors from NIU with a B.S. degree in human development and family sciences.
“I was honored to be invited into a space to talk about my business and hopefully encourage someone else,” Foreman said. “I think events like this resonate with students because we are so close in age. It helps them to feel that their dreams are attainable when someone who is not that much older than them has not only attempted to reach their goal but was successful.”
Shazor Khan, ’23, was eager to come back to campus and share his experiences. He is the co-founder of MethodEASY, an AI-powered platform that streamlines the e-commerce business cycle for consumer-packaged goods companies, offering both simplicity and strategic insights. Adding to his accolades, Khan achieved distinction as the winner of the inaugural De La Vega Innovation Pitch Competition in 2023.
“NIU and the COB have always been extremely kind to me. They were the first supporters I had outside of my family, and I see their continued support to this day,” Khan said. “Knowing that I could provide some insight to students was amazing. One of the best parts of any college experience is getting insight into the worlds you like, even outside of the classroom, and I hope I was able to do so.”
Khan is currently immersed in fundraising and finalizing development of the product. Before MethodEASY, he founded Statehood E-commerce Solutions, a service-based startup, drawing valuable industry insights.
As someone who is disabled and a low-income immigrant, Tayyaba Ali understands how life-changing it can be to be taken seriously by peers. As a panelist, she shared her experience founding her first formal medtech startup as a teenager, raising over $1.5 million for a medical wearable. Now at the age of 25, she is the co-founder and CEO of Tikal Industries, a Chicago-based hardtech startup.
Ali joined the panel because she wanted to provide unfiltered conversation amongst students and entrepreneurs.
“I wish I had someone talk to me when I started down this journey nearly a decade ago. A few years into my journey, and even now, I have mentors who invest their time and energy into my journey,” she said. “This is my way of giving back and investing in my ecosystem for the next generation of misfits building moonshot visions. I am a strong believer that innovation and creativity are everywhere, so if we empower nontraditional founders, we can change the trajectory of our world for the better.”
The panel also included entrepreneur and Fuel venture partner, Gustavo Casas, ’20, who was born to immigrant parents. Scholarship opportunities led Casas to NIU where he co-founded his first tech startup at 19 and later served as CEO for two consumer electronics startups. Now based in New York, Casas recently marked a significant achievement by securing his first $1M check from a high-net-worth individual.
The four panelists’ experiences clearly resonated with attendees, who took part in a lively Q&A at the end of the event. Sara Petrovska is a freshman OM&IS student with a minor in business analytics. She attended the discussion to gain insight into the paths of young trailblazers, but she was most impressed by the quality of the event.
“What stood out to me the most about the event was its organization,” Petrovska said. “The student moderators excelled in introducing the panelists and steering the discussion seamlessly, maintaining a captivating atmosphere for all attendees. The overall coordination and the quality of discussions were truly commendable.”
Avi Tiwari, who works as the program manager for Innovation DuPage and founded his own charity PacksandSnacks, attended the panel discussion to gain insight into the minds of young entrepreneurs.
“I believe events like this particularly resonate with students when they see other former students of their alma mater succeed in startup, nonprofit or small business environments. This urges them to rethink the traditional college-to-job route and understand how to get more involved with campus activities and tapping into university resources to create viable businesses of the future,” he said.
Rose Henton, director of prevention education and outreach, attended the event in support of her former student worker, Gabrielle Foreman. However, she was moved by the experience.
“I was impressed by the fearlessness of these trailblazers to start their own businesses knowing there might be challenges. I learned that networking was a key factor in their success as well as their education, experiences and family support,” she said. “I suggest others support these events at the De La Vega Innovation Lab because it is always interesting to know what our graduates are accomplishing and how they benefited from their Northern Illinois University experience.”
These types of hands-on experiences are central to the mission of the College of Business — to develop principled and adaptive global citizens and advance their institutions through knowledge creation, innovation, partner collaboration, personalized experiences and active learning.
“We are so proud of the innovative opportunities that are coming from our De La Vega Innovation Lab, and the Young Trailblazers Panel event was a perfect example of that,” said interim Dean Denise D. Schoenbachler. “It means so much to have young alumni returning to campus to share the secrets of their success with our students. These types of practical experiences are priceless for Huskies who are just starting down their own career paths.”
This spring, the De La Vega Innovation lab in Barsema Hall will host its incubator program and pitch competition. The top 15 teams of students who participate in the program will compete as finalists in the in-person De La Vega Innovation Pitch Competition April 20. All Huskies are invited to attend the event and cheer on our young entrepreneurs.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with Rose Henton’s correct title. The previous publication of this story stated she was NIU’s chief diversity officer. Her correct title is director of prevention education and outreach.
