Graduating from Lynn University is the result of hard work and grit. For Phillip Gursahaney '21, it was also a defining moment that marked a new beginning personally and professionally.
Gursahaney began his academic career at an Alabama university where he majored in general business. At first, he enjoyed the sizable student body that filled oversized classrooms. Then he began losing focus and lacking the determination to keep going.
"I needed a more intimate place to learn," he said. "My sweet spot is 15–25 students in a classroom, where the professor knows my name."
Gursahaney left that university and enrolled as a hospitality major at Lynn, although he did not fully know what he wanted to study. A short while later, he again wasn't connecting with the class material and started failing his courses.
"I had a lot of academic troubles," Gursahaney said. "I knew something needed to change."
He sought tutoring services, which helped him build better habits, and he visited the Academic Advising office to discuss his future at Lynn.
"When I sat down with an advisor and began explaining my interests, she said, 'Sweetheart, you are in the wrong major,'" Gursahaney said. "Without a blink of an eye, she signed me up for the B.S. in entrepreneurship program."
Gursahaney was immediately captivated by the entrepreneurship coursework and his professors. He began incorporating the topics he studied into his daily life and visualized how they might shape his future career. By graduation, Gursahaney had transitioned himself off academic probation and onto the Dean's List. He credits his success to Lynn's advisors, professors and the program's design.
In May 2021, he took part in Lynn's virtual commencement, where he gave thanks to his supportive family.
"When I thought about finally graduating, I cared most about finishing strong and making the people who helped me along the way proud," Gursahaney said. "We all knew that Lynn was my saving grace."
His accomplishment inspired his family foundation, the Gursahaney Family Foundation, to help another entrepreneurship student succeed.
The Gursahaney family pledges to give $10,000 for five years to establish the Gursahaney Family Endowed Scholarship in Entrepreneurship. Once funded, Lynn's Office of Student Financial Services will award the endowment's scholarship annually to a deserving entrepreneurship student who would otherwise not be able to attend college.
"Nothing would bring me more joy than to see someone use this scholarship and to even meet them one day," Gursahaney said. "I want to help create a better future for a person in need."
One month after graduation, Gursahaney landed a position as a regional account manager for a local Florida business. He's inspired to stay involved with his family's foundation and contribute when he can.
"I know that not everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the causes they love," he said. "But if you're thinking about it, do it. If you can, why not."
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