Student ventures take center stage at Entrepreneurship and Innovation Spring Showcase

Western Washington University students from a mix of majors are drawn to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) Program by a common interest: they have ideas they want to bring to life and a desire to collaborate with others of a similar mindset.

About 80 students will present a wide range of innovative projects at the E&I Spring Showcase, the largest of the year, on Wednesday, May 20, from noon to 4 p.m., at Chuckanut Bay Distillery. The E&I Program is housed in the Management Department of Western’s College of Business and Economics.

The quarterly showcase represents the culmination of a quarter or more dedicated to an entrepreneurial venture or idea. Open to all, the event welcomes students, parents, faculty and community members to explore E&I students’ projects and offer meaningful feedback to help move their ideas forward.

“This spring showcase will really highlight the diversity of what we offer in the E&I Program, from our intro class with prototyped ideas, to the advanced with complete projects ready to launch into the world,” said Lara Merriam-Smith, interim director of the E&I Program. “This spring we’ll also have timely and relevant projects from two of our special topics classes — social/sustainable entrepreneurship and leadership in the age of AI.”

Lizbeth Vargas, a senior from Sultan majoring in communication studies and minoring in entrepreneurship and innovation, describes the showcase as having a science fair atmosphere, but with business ventures rather than science experiments.

“You’ll see students, in teams or alone, at tables presenting what they’ve been working on,” Vargas said. “Beginning students are trying to figure out ‘is this something that someone would even be interested in?’ and the further you move up, the more serious you become about it.” 

Students in the foundations class work in teams on early-stage ventures, which Vargas likened to a “first draft.” Intermediate students continue those projects or break off into solo or two-person teams to work on a new idea, while those in the advanced class are ready to launch their product. 

Vargas used the E&I Program to launch, run and grow a handful of businesses, including Maria’s Munchies, a Mexican snack-food venture that she takes to farmers’ markets and events. After graduating in June, she’ll take ownership of her family’s business, Maria’s Mexican Food in her hometown. Vargas said she has plans to open a bakery/bodega by the end of the year. 

“I’m excited to just work, even though I’m choosing to work 16-hour days,” she said. “I prefer it because I’m working on something that I want to work on and something that I think my community will love.” 

Vargas was an E&I student fellow for a year, during which she helped organize quarterly showcases and other events. The fellowship is a paid position that involves working closely with the program director, faculty and students. 

Alex Hines, originally from a town outside Raleigh, North Carolina, is a current E&I student fellow who has been taking entrepreneurship classes since he came to WWU two years ago. He plans to graduate from WWU’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies in December with a concentration in software development and ethical entrepreneurship.

He said the showcase is a chance for students to practice pitching their ideas and was where he received invaluable feedback on his venture, VibeCheckList, a mood-based to-do list app designed for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that he launched last fall. Read more about Hines and VibeCheckList here.

“Presenting to 100 people in four hours, three times a year for two years now — I’m coming up on my sixth showcase with VibeCheckList — the feedback that you get from that alone is so incredible,” Hines said.

Hines admits that starting a business may not be everyone’s dream or goal but says the E&I Program offers more than just that.

“It will help you think about things a little bit differently and navigate your career a little bit more effectively,” Hines said. “That’s because it’s not just entrepreneurship, it’s also intrapreneurship, which is self-advocacy and building something within a larger business or organization, which is where a lot of our students end up.”

Many students pursue traditional career tracks, using entrepreneurial skills from the program — such as leadership, innovation, and strategic thinking — to build their reputations and advance within organizations. 

Entrepreneurship classes are open to any WWU student and bring in students from a wide variety of disciplines — including but not only business, art and computer science — and this is what Merriam-Smith says makes the E&I Program unique.

“What stands out to me about our students is how interdisciplinary they are. That mix of backgrounds and perspectives creates a really supportive, dynamic environment, and I think it really shows that entrepreneurship is for everyone,” Merriam-Smith said.

The E&I Program also offers a minor and two certificates — a 16-credit basic entrepreneurship certificate and the Foundations of Outdoor Recreation, Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Tourism (FOREST) certificate. 

Vargas said she found a welcoming community in the E&I Program and likes that she’s been able to meet and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.

“I’ve worked with artists, people who work with cars, people who are trying to create housing developments, all different types of people,” she said. “We’re all helping each other. Some of the best advice I’ve got in the food industry is from someone who details cars.” 

“In my major, communications, I feel like we’re all kind of on the same page. And then with my minor, E&I, we’re all reading completely different books, but we’re all reading at the same pace,” Vargas said. 

Vargas got her entrepreneurial spirit from her dad, who worked in restaurants but always dreamed of having his own restaurant or food truck.

“My dad put it in my head from a young age that if you can be your own boss, you should be your own boss. Like, be an inventor, be a creator, do whatever you have to do, but just make your own time, make your own schedule, so that way you can live life the way that you want to live it,” she said. “We started our first family business when I was 17 years old and that’s when the idea of entrepreneurship started for me.” 

The spring showcase is the largest of the year, and while the final list of projects and participants isn’t final yet, it promises to offer something for everyone.

“There’s something for everyone. The last showcase was pretty diverse; we had people doing camping equipment, mountain biking stuff to someone wanting to start their own mocktail drinks,” Vargas said. “I would encourage people to try to go to every table because you really never know what you’re going to find.”

Check out a video tour of the Fall 2025 E&I Community Showcase by Associate Professor Arthur Sherwood, follow E&I on Instagram, and learn more about the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program in the College of Business and Economics. 

Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of Business and Economics and College of the Environment for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at neradj@wwu.edu.