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Social entrepreneurship and economics double major Lauren Barry ’24 will join the second-ever cohort of NobleReach Scholars as a growth associate at the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority (MDIA) for a year of public service. Barry was selected from a pool of over 1,200 applicants from over 100 universities nationwide.

The 2025 NobleReach Scholars cohort consists of 28 recent graduates and early career professionals skilled in essential areas like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and more. The selected scholars embark on one-year placements in public-service tech roles at federal, state, and local government organizations and mission-driven private-sector partners.

The NobleReach Scholars Program seeks recent graduates with a 3.2 GPA or higher who bring proven experience in one of its four strategic domains, looking for candidates driven by public service, inspired to lead change, and eager to make an impact while building meaningful connections.

“I was drawn to NobleReach because it’s the kind of space where government resources, business strategy, and social innovation come together to create real impact,” says Barry, who will conduct market research, streamline processes, and develop proposals and materials to drive new opportunities and scalable solutions at MDIA.

Barry was uniquely prepared for the NobleReach opportunity thanks to Rollins’ synergetic mix of foundational knowledge and skills development, hands-on opportunities, mentorship, and community. She credits social entrepreneurship professor Tonia Warnecke for encouraging the department to explore new programs, which is how she discovered NobleReach’s Innovation for Impact and learned to turn theory into practice.

“Courses like Planning and Implementing for Social Entrepreneurship with Dr. [Walter] Mswaka gave me the tools to think about strategy and scaling solutions, and the liberal arts core pushed me to approach problems from different angles, whether through economics, psychology, or even art history,” shares Barry. “In Strategies for Changemakers with Dr. [Aycha] Williams, I saw firsthand how entrepreneurial tools can be applied to solve real-world challenges. Paired with my nonprofit and corporate experiences, it became clear how much potential there is when strong ideas are backed by the right support.”

Outside the classroom, Barry broadened her perspective through a series of high-impact experiences—from studying ethical banking, sustainable finance, and the circular economy in Geneva to interning with organizations like Raymond James and Feed the Elephant, where she applied classroom theory to everything from asset management and grant writing to AI-driven market research and social entrepreneurship. The Women in Finance program further grounded her learning in real-world applications, while mentors in the Office of External & Competitive Scholarships were key in guiding her through fellowship and postgraduate applications.

“Just as important, the Rollins community—classmates, friends, teammates, and professors— has been so supportive and encouraging every step of the way,” shares Barry. “I’m so thankful for this experience because the Rollins community really made this next step possible.”

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