How Students Are Turning Class Projects into Real Business Ventures
In high school, I often felt like projects were just something to get through. Completing them usually meant checking off a box on my to-do list, handing them in to my teacher and then moving on to the next assignment. It was easy to see them just as assignments with deadlines rather than opportunities for something bigger.
But when I got to university, that perspective started to shift. One course changed how I saw schoolwork: my thesis course. Unlike anything I’d done before, this course challenged me to identify a real, tangible problem and use research as a tool to explore possible solutions. It wasn’t about just finishing an assignment; it was about creating something meaningful that could have an impact beyond the classroom. That experience made me realize that academic work can be the starting point for real change—if students are given the right support and space to take their ideas further.
For many students, the feeling that a class project may be more than just an assignment can be the start of something unexpected. I recently had the chance to speak with a former student who followed that feeling, turning an idea sparked in the classroom into a real venture that made a difference. Their journey wasn’t always easy; it took persistence, creativity and support. Stories like theirs highlight a bigger truth: while great ideas can come from anywhere, not all students have the same access to resources or guidance to help them grow. That’s why educators like Dr. Barbara Crow have been working to break down those barriers and build pathways that empower every student to bring their ideas to life.
Innovation for Every Student
When Dr. Barbara Crow became Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., she noticed a disconnect: innovation and entrepreneurship were often siloed in STEM and business faculties, leaving arts and science students out of the conversation.
“There was no pathway for Arts and Science students to get involved in innovation,” she explained. “But the skills needed to turn ideas into action, that’s something every student should have access to.”
With that in mind, Dr. Crow began working with the Queen’s music department and other campus partners to reframe innovation not as a tech-only space, but as a methodological approach, a process that could apply just as much to poetry and social change as to engineering and product design. Innovation, she emphasized, is about translating ideas into impact.
Her early conversations with the director of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre sparked a pivotal question: What would it take to bring Arts and Science students into the fold and support them meaningfully? The result was the creation of the Dean’s Changemaker Challenge, a program that brings alumni, faculty and interdisciplinary mentors together to support students in building real-world projects based on their values, lived experiences and coursework.
Crafting Solutions That Resonate for Decades
Dr. Crow admits the early iterations of the program weren’t perfect. The first calls for participants were too open-ended, and only a few students showed up. “They needed a project, something tangible to build from,” she said. In one early initiative, students worked with renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, known for his environmental work and Order of Canada recognition, to conceptualize the story of the whale through art, writing and learning.
“We worked on it for two years. It was a deeply collaborative, evolving process,” she said. “Ten years from now, students will look back and say, ‘Wow, we did that.’”
The program gradually brought in more expertise, pairing undergraduate teams with graduate students and community leaders who could guide the implementation side of their ideas. As students became more engaged, the projects evolved, rooted increasingly in personal passion and lived experience.
When Education Meets Purpose
One of the last projects Dr. Crow helped oversee before going on leave involved a group of undergraduate students proposing a compulsory mental health course for incoming Queen’s students. Working alongside Dr. Meghan Norris, known for her research at the intersection of pedagogy and student well-being, the team collaborated with campus mental health providers to ensure the course would complement existing academic supports.
Some faculty initially worried that a required mental health course might detract from their own curriculum. But the students flipped that narrative, saying, “Our course is going to make students better in your course,” emphasizing that prioritizing mental well-being doesn’t take away from academic performance; it enhances it.
It wasn’t just theory. The challenge inspired a range of tangible solutions: children’s books on mental health, fridge-tagging systems to improve food access and even innovations like “Telechargers,” a proposal to create mobile device charging stations at gas stations for long-haul travelers and underserved communities.
For Dr. Crow, these moments reflect what the Changemaker Challenge is truly about: using education not just to absorb information, but to act on it, creatively, inclusively and with purpose.
When the Lived Experiences of Students Drive Business
What’s remarkable about student entrepreneurs is how personal their ventures are. These aren’t just ideas pulled out of thin air; they’re often born from lived experience, empathy and a genuine desire to help their communities.
Take Emily Talas, for example. Growing up as a first‑generation Canadian in an immigrant household, conversations about school and mental health weren’t always simple, not because her family lacked understanding, but because it was new for all of them. “Everything was new, for them and for me,” she explained. At just 14, when she started experiencing anxiety, her family came together to learn, adapt and support one another. It was a collective journey, rooted in resilience, understanding and a shared commitment to figuring it out as a team.
Attending a school where many students were also first-generation Canadians, Emily found herself navigating the mental health system largely on her own. She often thought about how much easier things could’ve been if mental health literacy, such as simple explanations of emotions, anxiety or even just “what you’re feeling and why,” had been part of the classroom experience from an earlier age.
That idea stuck with her. While studying to become a teacher, she noticed just how awkward and even taboo mental health conversations could be in the classroom, not just for students, but for parents and teachers too. “Some parents were worried just hearing the words ‘mental health’ in a school setting,” she said.
To address that gap, she and a group of peers created Bloom, a student-led mental health club that trained volunteers to run mental health programs in schools. They emphasized outdoor activities, emotional literacy and making mental wellness approachable for kids. Bloom launched in 2021 and still exists as a club at Queen’s University to this day.
But when Emily entered the Dean’s Changemaker Challenge, a program encouraging students to build sustainable, impact-driven businesses, she hit a roadblock. “Everything I’d built so far had been nonprofit. I didn’t know how to make a business out of it,” she said. That challenge pushed her to think differently.
Through research, she discovered that some of the most meaningful conversations between parents and children happen at bedtime, in those quiet moments reading together. That insight became the foundation for Letsbloom, a monthly subscription platform offering story books and conversation guides to help parents talk with their children about complex topics like anxiety, body image and self-esteem.
What began as a class project grew into a real social venture, thanks in part to the funding and mentorship she received through the Changemaker Challenge.
Emily Talas (right) with a prototype of the Letsbloom subscription box.
How a Pilot Course Changed Her Trajectory
Talas credits much of her entrepreneurial mindset to the ASCX 200 and 300-level courses she took at Queen’s University. A pilot program aimed at helping students engage with social impact through applied, interdisciplinary learning. “That course changed the trajectory of my whole life,” she said. “I was so lucky to stumble upon it, I was genuinely excited to go to class every week.” As a self-described applied learner, she found the hands-on, problem-solving format transformative. “It taught me how to reverse-engineer problems—to always remain curious and ask ‘why’ until you get to the core issue. That mindset helped me not just with Letsbloom, but in the corporate world, too.”
She became a teaching assistant for the course and carried those lessons forward, conducting user interviews, asking uncomfortable questions and grounding her venture in problems people were actually facing. “You need to have a very solid problem,” she said. “You can’t build from fluff, you have to dig into the real pain points.”
Challenging the Entrepreneur Narrative
The program also gave her permission to imagine herself outside the box she felt placed in. “There’s this idea that teachers aren’t meant to be entrepreneurs,” she said. “As a ConEd student, I felt a bit pigeonholed. I was battling imposter syndrome the whole time because there’s this narrative that entrepreneurs come from business or engineering backgrounds, and I didn’t see myself represented in that space.”
But the course helped her challenge that thinking and build confidence. “It opened me up to so many opportunities I wouldn’t have found otherwise,” she said. It also taught her one of the most valuable lessons: the importance of validation. “You can have a great idea, but the real test is whether someone is willing to pay for it,” she said. That insight was especially important in the mental health space, where revenue can feel like a taboo topic. “Money makes people uncomfortable,” she said. “But if you want to create something sustainable, you need to be willing to talk about value and have hard conversations early.”
She also had to learn how to sell, not just a product, but a story. “With Letsbloom, I had to be super vulnerable. I had to talk openly about anxiety, about my family’s experience, about the gaps I lived through,” she said. “Storytelling became one of the most critical muscles I had to build.”
Advice for Aspiring Student Founders
When asked what advice she’d offer students hoping to turn academic projects into real-world ventures, Talas didn’t hesitate.
“First, take full advantage of the resources you have while you’re in school,” she said. “Universities actually value clubs, leadership and student-led initiatives, and there’s a safety net in place that you won’t always have once you’re out in the real world.” From student-run programs to entrepreneurship courses, she encourages students to explore everything that’s available to them. And if those resources don’t exist yet? “Talk to the decision-makers. Advocate for them.”
Her second piece of advice: build loudly. “There’s so much discourse around keeping ideas secret, but I completely disagree with that narrative,” she said. “Being loud has opened so many doors for me, even just posting a quick update on LinkedIn has led to unexpected conversations and connections.” She’s a big believer in visibility over perfection. “You don’t need to be posting all over TikTok or YouTube. A five-minute update on LinkedIn can make you seem more legit and get your idea in front of people who might help you grow it.”
Finally, she offers one simple but powerful rule: don’t ask, don’t get. “We often talk ourselves out of asking for things because we assume the answer will be no,” Talas said. “But if you never ask, you’ll never get what you need—whether that’s funding, mentorship or even just advice.” She’s seen it firsthand. “I’ve asked for some pretty wild things—and I got them.”
Emily Talas (holding the sign) launching her most recent business venture LYV.EVENTS two years ago, aimed to promote creative entrepreneurship in Toronto.
Why This Matters to You
What if your next class project wasn’t just another grade, but the first step toward something bigger? The stories shared here show what can happen when students dare to see their ideas as more than assignments, when they choose to build something that matters and when they find the courage to ask Why not me?
You don’t have to be in business or engineering to make change. Whether you’re passionate about mental health, the arts, education or social justice, your lived experiences and unique perspective are powerful starting points. The truth is, no one hands you permission to innovate, you give that to yourself. But you’re not alone: there are resources, mentors and opportunities out there. And if they don’t exist yet, your voice can help create them.
So, the next time you’re working on a project, don’t just think about how to finish it. Think about what it could become. Your ideas are worth sharing, and they just might be the spark that creates real impact. The question isn’t whether students can change the world. It’s: Why shouldn’t it be you?
