University of New Haven Graduate Candidate Earns National Recognition for Innovative Student Leadership

There are moments in life that quietly change everything.

For me, one of those moments came when I clicked "Submit" on my application to become the Hult Prize Campus Director at the University of New Haven.

No one had asked me to do it. There was no guarantee I would be selected. I was simply an international graduate student from Nepal pursuing my master's degree in Environmental Science, balancing coursework, research in the Ecology Lab, and adapting to life in a new country.

My journey with the Hult Prize didn't begin in the United States. Years earlier, during my undergraduate studies in Nepal, I discovered the program as a member of the organizing committee. Later, I stood on the other side of the stage as a participant, leading a startup team that advanced to the Regional Round. Those experiences changed the way I thought about leadership. I learned that entrepreneurship wasn't only about building businesses. It was about building solutions for people.

When I came to the University of New Haven, I never imagined I would one day lead the program myself. Yet something kept pulling me back to that dream. I wanted students to experience what I had experienced.

When I was selected as the University's second Hult Prize campus director, I inherited a program with incredible potential. Thanks to the work of former Campus Director Nipson K.C. ’25 M.S., the Hult Prize had been introduced to campus through a virtual competition. My goal was to transform that foundation into the University's first large-scale, fully in-person Hult Prize On-Campus Finale.

I wanted it to feel like more than a competition. I wanted it to become a community.

I visited Registered Student Organization events with stacks of flyers in my hands. I introduced myself to students I had never met before. I designed graphics late at night, managed social media, organized workshops, scheduled meetings, answered emails, recruited participants, searched for judges, coordinated logistics, and constantly reminded people that this wasn't just another event.

It was an opportunity.

There were days when very few students signed up. There were moments when I wondered whether everything would come together. Balancing graduate research, classes, and organizing one of the University's largest student innovation events sometimes felt overwhelming.

But every conversation, every poster, every workshop, and every encouraging "yes" slowly built something bigger than I could have imagined.

The most beautiful part of the experience was watching students come together.

Undergraduate and graduate students from business, engineering, environmental science, computer science, health sciences, and many other disciplines gathered around a shared purpose of using innovation to solve global challenges through entrepreneurship.

We welcomed more than 50 participants and 10 startup teams, each bringing a unique vision for creating positive change.

One team imagined reducing food insecurity. Another explored sustainable innovation. Others focused on community well-being and environmental challenges.

The winning team, Aegis Pack — Seth Glassman ’29, Elijah Abbas-Shereef ’29, Anthony DiBiagio ’27, and Matthew Wong ’29—presented an innovative concept for bullet-resistant backpacks designed to support safer learning environments while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Good Health and Well-Being and Quality Education.

Watching them represent the University of New Haven at the Hult Prize U.S. National Competition at the Hult International Business School in Boston, surrounded by student innovators from across the country, I realized how far this journey had come.

Out of more than 18,000 startup ideas submitted from over 130 countries, only around 1,500 advanced to the national stage. Simply being part of that community of changemakers was inspiring.

As my Hult Prize journey came to a close, I received news that I had been selected as one of the Top 5 Campus Directors in North America through the Hult Prize’s 2026 Community Awards. It was an honor I had never imagined when I first applied for the role.

The recognition represented every student who chose to participate, every mentor who volunteered their time, every faculty member and administrator who believed in the program, and every member of our organizing committee who turned an ambitious vision into reality.

As an international graduate student, I came to the University of New Haven hoping to earn a degree. I leave having helped create a platform where students from different disciplines could come together, challenge one another, and realize that their ideas have the power to create meaningful change.

If there is one lesson this journey has taught me, it is that leadership is about the opportunities you create for others. That, more than any recognition, is what I will carry with me.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible people who believed in this vision long before it became reality.

I am deeply grateful to President Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., for his encouragement and belief in student innovation; Brian Otis, EMBA, vice president for advancement; Brian Marks, J.D., Ph.D., executive director of entrepreneurship and innovative programs, whose mentorship prepared our teams throughout the competition, and Holly Pattavina, director of strategic operations and initiatives, whose guidance and support were invaluable.

I was equally honored to work alongside an extraordinary panel of judges whose expertise reflected the interdisciplinary spirit of the Hult Prize. Sharon Kahara, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biology and Environmental Science; Vasiliki Kosmidou, Ph.D., Smerd Family Associate Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Zahra Al-Harazi-Schmidt, founder and CEO of Skillit, an internationally recognized entrepreneur, author, and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal—who generously challenged and inspired our students with her global experience.

I also owe sincere thanks to our organizing committee, volunteers, mentors, participants, and former campus director Nipson K.C., whose support and encouragement helped shape this year's success.