2021 Kessler Fellows
Kessler Fellows is an entrepreneurship program rooted in the College of Engineering. The program is open to all juniors at Cornell University that have a strong interest in entrepreneurship. Students will engage in a semester-long immersion aimed to help them cultivate their entrepreneurial readiness before their summer experience with a startup.
Meet the 2021 Kessler Fellows
Alex LoCicero
Mechanical Engineering
"Through the Kessler Fellowship, I am preparing myself with the necessary background knowledge and mindset that will help me excel in a startup."
Anna Hu
Psychology, College Scholar
"I want to challenge myself to think outside of the box — not only of my career but also of the value that I could bring to society."
Austin Stasko
Mechanical Engineering
"I am hoping to gain confidence in my ability to fulfill my dream of starting a company one day."
Candice Mahadeo
Applied Economics and Management
"I want to explore building a brand and product/service. This program offers me a chance to take a front seat to innovation."
Chloe Elise Young
Biology & Society
"I am looking forward to gaining valuable information and insights concerning the intersection of entrepreneurship and the STEM field. Being a Kessler Fellow allows us to get hands on experience from current entrepreneurs in ways that we otherwise wouldn't in a more traditional internship experience. I hope to learn a lot from the best in this field and be able to apply everything I learn to my own career and ventures."
Cole DeMeulemeester
Computer Science
"I hope to gain life-long mentors and peers, learn first-hand what it takes to grow a successful business, and equip myself with the tools to make impactful change on a global scale."
Connor Reinhold
Computer Science / Mathematics
"I want to meet others, have the experience of working for a startup over the summer, and learn more about what working in startups as a career path is like from people who've gone through that experience."
Emile Bouriez
Mechanical Engineering
"I hope to learn from my peers about their experience in entrepreneurship."
Emma Kranich
Electrical and Computer Engineering
"I hope being a Kessler Fellow provides me with insights into what makes a startup successful and introduces me to people with similar goals and passions."
Gary Wang
Material Science and Engineering
"I will learn how to build a company based on company ideals/culture, promoting personal leadership, and the persevering entrepreneurship mindset."
Jackson Bauer
Biomedical Engineering
Through the Kessler Fellowship Program, I hope to gain insight into the qualities of a successful startup and learn the unique business, technical, and interpersonal skills required to drive such a business from an experienced entrepreneur. The end goal will be to prepare myself for launching my own startup company in the future."
Jueun (Jen) Yi
Operations Research and Information Engineering
"As a Kessler Fellow, I am excited to intern at an energy startup of my choice to learn how I can use Operations Research and entrepreneurship to efficiently commercialize cleantech. Through conversations with other Kessler Fellows and entrepreneurs, I am also looking forward to learning about other people’s passions."
Maxwell Beck
ILR, Information Science, Business
"I hope to learn how to build a product that users love, while also learning how to build, maintain, and establish a strong company culture."
Melissa Louie
Chemical Engineering
"I want to join a small, forward-moving company where I can see the positive impacts of my work even as an intern."
Melody Yu
Mechanical Engineering
"As a mechanical engineer, I'd like to make my time in Cornell not only about voyages in the stem world, but ventures in entrepreneurship as well."
Michael Grossman
Urban and Regional Studies
"I have two primary goals in being a Kessler Fellow. First, I want to gain more exposure to a startup environment. Second, I want to work for a company where I could see myself one day."
Tiffany Chui
Materials Science and Engineering
"Through the Kessler Fellow program, I hope to become equipped with the knowledge and skills it takes to launch my own career."
Chendan Luo
Medical and Aerospace Engineering
"Through the Kessler Fellow program, I want to combine technical background with more possibilities in entrepreneurship, find opportunities and potential teammates to start an entrepreneurial project."
Payton Hunter
Mechanical Engineering
"I hope to learn more about the process of creating a start-up and continue networking with entrepreneurial-minded people."