- Eyerusalem Woldu, a JSU sophomore and native of Ethiopia, is owner of Abyssinia, a two-year-old wholesale and retail product sales company. The entrepreneur envisions Jackson becoming the next Silicon Valley.
A sophomore studying electrical engineering and entrepreneurship was honored Wednesday by the City of Jackson’s Office of Economic Development for creating a leather iPad case to protect devices provided to Jackson State University students.
The innovation by JSU entrepreneur Eyerusalem Woldu also includes a detachable keyboard. Woldu, a native of Ethiopia, is owner of Abyssinia, a two-year-old wholesale and retail product sales company.
The first of the city’s 2016 Business of the Quarter events was attended by campus and city administrators, faculty, staff and students. Woldu’s mentors were also in attendance: William “Bill” Cooley, dean emeritus of the College of Business; and Michael Thomas, former vice president for the Division of Business and Finance.
Woldu expressed her appreciation to the city for the honor and acknowledged her mentors for giving her the inspiration to become an entrepreneur. While thanking JSU for providing iPads to students, she and her peers were unimpressed with the case. As a result, she designed a cover to replace the one provided by the distributor. After surveying 200 students, she discovered that 85 percent didn’t like the iPad cases for various reasons, and 75 percent didn’t use them.
“We can bring the next Silicon Valley to Jackson,” she said. With the help of a Chinese manufacturer, she ultimately unveiled the new iPad cover.
Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber presented the honor to Woldu on the main campus at Jackson State University’s Circle of Humanity at Dalton and J.R. Lynch streets.
Describing the day as special, President Carolyn W. Meyers said students such as Woldu are “visible proof of what happens when the city, community, faculty and staff get together and give their best and act as a resource. … This helps our young people make our city and state a better place.”
Moreover, Yarber commended JSU for preparing students to be “better today than they were yesterday and for encouraging the spirit of entrepreneurship.” The city’s top executive especially thanked Woldu for encouraging him to be more than just a mayor.
“I’m a mayor who’s going to start a business because you’ve encouraged me. If I don’t make any money – and I will – at least I would have had the nerve to attempt to do something.”
Vic Sexton, coordinator of the City of Jackson Small Business Outreach, said, “Although not fitting the mold of the prior established businesses honored, we feel the need to promote youth entrepreneurship whenever we can, which we hope serves as encouragement and inspiration for other aspiring students.”
Yarber told the crowd, “You don’t have to have a building. You don’t have to have an office with a lot of furniture. You just have to have a God-given idea, the audacity to believe that you heard what you heard, step out on what you heard and be creative and unapologetic in your efforts and endeavors.”
JSU Dean Dr. Ramin Maysami said the occasion speaks to the mission of the College of Business by producing “ethical and technologically advanced diverse global leaders” such as Woldu, who used her knowledge from the department to create business solutions, he said.
Representing the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Dr. Wilbur Walters, associate dean, said, “We have an opportunity to drive the economics and future with students right here at Jackson State. … Given the opportunity, the sky is the limit.”
Following the ceremony, guests toured the College of Business.
