Class Act - Building Her Future

"There were a lot of reasons I chose to pursue my Business degree from Champlain," says sophomore Danielle Thorburn '12. "But one of the important ones was the connection; Champlain values what I value. I knew from the time I was in high school that I wanted to start a home renovation company, and because I knew the dorms here were all renovated Victorian houses, I assumed that there would be a good connection for me with the College."

Thorburn, who says she has "a lot of natural business instinct," applied Early Decision to Champlain. "The reason I came to Champlain was I knew I could perfect my business knowledge here and be as prepared as I could be to start my own business-and I knew that the BYOBiz program would give me the push I needed to actually get my business off the ground."

The director of the BYOBiz program, Robert Bloch, paved the way for Thorburn to start getting immediate experience and attention in the historic restoration business. Through his efforts, Thorburn landed a work-study gig working on a high-profile historic restoration project converting a pre-Civil War building now called Roger H. Perry Hall into the new Champlain College Welcome Center. The building will celebrate its grand opening on Sept. 24.

She has been working closely with the contractor, Mark Tighe, at Engleberth Construction. "The first time I went out on site," says Thorburn, "I was working with a carpenter on floorboards; then I worked on some drywall and framing. Mark is trying to give me an overall understanding of each trade of construction. It's been really rewarding working with each individual; I'm learning a lot."

And that's to say nothing of what she's learning inside the classroom. "The teachers are really good at making sure I get every class that I wanted to take in my major. As a freshman, I wanted to take entrepreneurship-a 300-level class-and Charlie Nagelschmidt [associate professor, Division of Business] helped me make it happen."

Thorburn says she's gaining ground faster than she ever dreamed she would. "Knowledge-wise, I've made a lot of progress," she says. "I'm learning how to run my business effectively and efficiently, especially through my organization and project management classes. Between class-learning and working at Perry Hall, I'm getting all the knowledge that I need to start my business-not to mention the networking! By working on this restoration, I've made tons of contacts in the Burlington area for contractors, lawyers, and others in every area I'll need when I launch the business officially."

Which looks like it will be sooner than she thought. Thorburn confides that she's already been approached by an investor about hiring her to run a major restoration project. "At Champlain, the help is here that you need to make your opportunities," she says. "You just have to take it." -Marcelle Langan