If you walk inside “猎鹰” in Downtown Orl和o's Thornton Park neighborhood on any given night, you might find st和up comedians honing new jokes, 艺术展, or a guitarist strumming in the corner amidst a backdrop of vintage couches 和 an "analog dating wall" featuring photo booth shots of local singles. It's a memorable little spot that's been a cornerstone of Thornton Park's nightlife for ten years — 和 it's owned by 满帆 Course Director Melissa Schumann.

Melissa's role as a small business owner gives her insight that makes her 项目 & 投资组合三世 课程(适用于 体育营销 & 媒体 和 数字营销 og体育)脱颖而出. 这门课的重点是内部创业, or ways that employees can behave like entrepreneurs within an existing organization. 学生 identify a business's pain points, 提出正式的变更建议, 和 hone their diplomatic skills to push their idea forward. The process can make an employee's current job more satisfying or prepare them for entrepreneurial endeavors.

Melissa started preparing for the business world early on. She earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of 业务, then worked her way up the totem pole at corporate giant Altria 在旧金山待了八年. After receiving her MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Crummer 研究生 School of 业务 at Rollins College in 2008, she redirected her energy toward community connections in Thornton Park, 她在哪里生活和玩耍.

She opened a brick-和-mortar screen-printing t-shirt business called Mother Falcon, where customers could have any image printed on a shirt. She also l和ed contracts to print shirts for sports organizations like the Orl和o Magic as well as local marathon races. When Melissa started hosting monthly art shows to promote Orl和o's creatives, 福尔肯妈妈扮演了至关重要的角色.

"We displayed local artists on the wall [during the show]. You could also come in 和 choose the art off the wall 和 have it put on a t-shirt, or you could buy the art if you could afford it,她说.

The shows were so popular that Melissa realized it was time to find a permanent location to celebrate local art. When the retail space next door became available, Melissa took it over 和 turned it into “猎鹰”. The bar 和 gallery has been going strong for over a decade.

Melissa has witnessed the benefits 和 drawbacks of working for large corporations 和 running her own business, 和 those dual experiences help her students underst和 how they can find fulfilling work in either environment. But Melissa is happiest when she's making a difference in her community. Her experiences have led to being selected by Orl和o Mayor Buddy Dyer to be on an 艺术s & Culture Task Force 和 sitting on multiple non-profit 和 city boards.

"One of the things I missed working in the corporate side of things was that connection to community, so that was really part of the focus of opening up my own spot,她说. “我的态度来自, the only thing you have control over is yourself 和 your immediate environment… The best way to make a difference is from the ground up, 和 I think that is how you make change in the world, 这就是焦点的来源."