UM-Flint students gaining international entrepreneurship experience through virtual exchange program

Students in the University of Michigan-Flint's School of Management are participating in the virtual Entrepreneurship Exchange program's first cohort. This free program connects them with teammates from Egypt, Libya, Morocco and the United States. Teams then identify real-world challenges and work to innovate business solutions.

Entrepreneurship Exchange is a virtual certificate program created by the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. Each eight-week cohort concludes with a video pitch competition. Winning teams receive eight free mentoring or coaching sessions conducted by Eric Fretz, teaching professor and lecturer II at the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and Victoria Hädler, an international coach specializing in multicultural clients.

The first participants from UM-Flint are:

• Ibrahim Atatri, a sophomore from Palestine majoring in software engineering.
• Ariel Castillo, a junior from Effort, Pennsylvania majoring in finance and minoring in economics.
• Angela Qazaha, a junior from Grand Blanc majoring in marketing and international business.
• Amina Waheed, a first-year student from Lansing majoring in psychology.

Castillo is the team leader for his group of eight budding entrepreneurs. His team's other officers include experts in science, business and culture. The challenge they identified is water scarcity, a serious concern for members living near the Sahara Desert. Their business solution is the Atmo-Drop, an invention that captures water from the air.

"It's a fusion of a dehumidifier and a water filter," said Castillo, who has long used both products in his northeast Pennsylvania home. "The other revolution that we've come up with is attempting to make it solar-powered. So, if you're talking about regions that lack access to electricity or are remote, there is the possibility that they can create energy and use it to power this device."

Qazaha is the creative advisor and design specialist for her team. She learned about the program from the Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, where her involvement has helped to offset her tuition. She is a 2025-26 beneficiary of the Stephen A. Whitener Scholarship for Innovators and also a 2024-25 recipient of the Hagerman Scholars Scholarship. Similar to her experience at the Hagerman Center, WDI is providing her and others with expert guidance.

"A mentor is assigned to our teams to help guide us throughout the process," Qazaha said. "The institute has also provided additional resources, including videos and quizzes we can review for our knowledge."

She meets with her team one to two times a week via Zoom and WhatsApp, while Castillo communicates mainly through the messaging service and email. The only factor that proved to be a challenge is the time difference, which is six to seven hours.

"It was difficult at first, but then we did find a perfect time to manage our work," Qazaha said.

Two additional cohorts will participate in the program this academic year. Students have until Dec. 15 to apply for Cohort 2, which will take place from Jan. 20 to March 2. Cohort 3 will run from May 4 to June 26.

"I decided to apply to this program because it includes two factors that interest me: entrepreneurship and learning about other cultures and people," Qazaha said. "It is definitely giving me the global connections, knowledge and experiences needed to succeed in the field of international business."

"My advice for other students is don't be scared, don't underestimate people's ability to communicate, and use your unique perspective to reflect on solutions," Castillo said. "I thought our challenges would be different, but I actually found that many issues are similar, if not the same, in North Africa and America."

WDI is a global nonprofit affiliated with U-M. According to its website, its mission is "to power entrepreneurs, enterprises, and ecosystems in emerging markets with the business tools to succeed and scale impact where it matters most."

WDI's Entrepreneurship Exchange program is funded by a grant from the nonprofit Aspen Institute's Stevens Initiative. This initiative exists to engage young people in global virtual exchange experiences. These experiences rely on everyday technology to enable collaboration, learning and leadership among young people.

To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Exchange program, visit its website. Students can also contact David Estrada, program administrator at WDI, at destrad@umich.edu.