Business students selected for John D. Beeghly Fellows Program
Carly Calderone, Rachel Durniok, William John Kinglsey Everett, David Kimpton, Jakob Peters, Isidora Sisic and Ephraimia Spirtos, business students from the Williamson College of Business Administration, were selected as the John D. Beeghly Fellows for the 2023 Spring Semester.
The John D. Beeghly Fellows program provides students with a paid fellowship working with the Ohio Small Business Development Center, Export Assistance Network and the APEX Accelerator at Youngstown State University. Projects include domestic and international market research, financial modeling, export readiness studies, business viability analysis, cash flow projections, sales forecasting, marketing & social media strategies, research on government contracting opportunities, marketing capability statements, and outreach for government contracting efforts. Students gain valuable career-related work experience to competitively position themselves in the job market upon graduation.
The Ohio SBDC at YSU received a best practice for their service delivery model that integrates the Beeghly Fellows into SBDC services. The ASBDC accreditation team visiting Ohio, stated that the model should be an example to other university based SBDCs for integrating educational, community and economic development services.
The John D. Beeghly Fellows Program is made possible by an endowment established at the YSU Foundation by Beeghly’s wife and children.
John David Beeghly was a lifelong resident and businessman in Youngstown, Ohio, and son of area industrialist and philanthropist, Leon A. Beeghly. From 1967 until his death, Beeghly served as vice president and director of Standard Slag Co. and Stancorp, Inc., a holding company for industrial businesses.
“The generous gift made by the John D. Beeghly family is an important investment in our business students. The gift provides our students with career-related experiences in regional businesses, so it is a collaborative “win-win” for both the WCBA students and the Mahoning Valley,” explained Kelly L. Wilkinson, dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration.
Carly Calderone graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in international business. Calderone is from the Youngstown area and will spend this summer traveling across the U.S. to pursue her passion for travel. Her internship at the SBDC provided many useful resources, connections, and experiences.
Rachel Durniok graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship. She is from Jamestown, Pennsylvania. Durniok plans to move to Cranberry Township and work in the Pittsburgh area.
William Everett, originally from London, England, moved to Youngstown to play on the YSU Tennis team. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting and moved to New York to pursue his Chartered Financial Analysis License.
David Kimpton is a senior majoring in human resource management and minoring in marketing. Kimpton will be graduating in December 2023 and is from Boardman, Ohio. This summer he will intern as a recruiter at Ultium Cell.
Jakob Peters is a senior economics major from Boardman, Ohio. This is his second semester as a Beeghly Fellow Intern. After graduating in December 2023, he plans to go back for his master’s degree in economics and hopes to pursue a career in government procurement or international trade. The Beeghly Fellowship has given him the opportunity to assist small businesses with various challenges that are outside the classroom.
Alexander Sinopoli from Hubbard, Ohio, served two semsters as a Beeghly Fellow and graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in business administration and a minor in marketing. He plans to find a job in a marketing department.
Isidora Sisic was a student-athlete from Novi Sad, Serbia. She graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in international business with a minor in marketing. Isidora plans to return to YSU to pursue a master’s degree in communication. As a Beeghly Fellow, she worked on various projects such as conducting market research and in-depth industry analysis for local small business companies and creating marketing materials.
Esphriamia Spirtos graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in May. From Poland, Ohio, her post-graduation plans are to work at a local bakery and open her own bakery within the next few years.