Neighbor News
Iona Student Amplifies Minority-and Women-Owned Business Enterprises
Double major Isaiah Williams '23 created a micro-site for MWBE during internship with the City of Mt. Vernon Economic Development Department
New Rochelle, N.Y. - A double major in computer science and entrepreneurial leadership, Iona University senior Isaiah Williams ’23, used lessons learned in the classroom to land an internship with the City of Mount Vernon Economic Development Department. There, he developed a dedicated micro-site to help improve outcomes for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).
“You would think that since computer science and entrepreneurship are two totally different industries, that there would be no correlation,” Williams said. “However, the knowledge I’ve learned from both has guided me through my career. I look at computer science problems as a prototype design that needs to be implemented. Using design thinking from my entrepreneurship classes, I can map out how I will solve the problem.”
The internship stemmed from students in Iona’s Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation partnering with the City of Mount Vernon to help MWBEs improve access to government contracts. After more than two months of fact finding and idea refinement, they presented their proposals to a packed house at the Hynes Institute. Williams had the idea to develop a dedicated micro-site to help improve outcomes for business owners, and landed an internship to build it.
