Jeyashree’s story begins across the world in Chennai, India. That’s where Jeyashree was born before moving to North Carolina at the age of 3. Growing up with two cultures and languages taught her to be a cultural liaison for her friends and family who come to visit the U.S. Fast forward to the present day, Jeyashree’s family will be watching their daughter graduate with a B.S in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the Poole College of Management and an International Studies Spanish minor from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State University in May 2020. 

An Entrepreneurial Heart

Coming from a different continent, Jeyashree has always had an interest in seeing new places and experiencing new cultures. This curiosity led her to study abroad in Argentina and Spain. Once there, she realized that her previous experience with learning new languages was invaluable. While abroad, her friends relied on her to help them get around and speak to locals. These experiences led her to wonder what her friends did when she was not there. She also wondered how often other travelers experienced this problem. Combining those two factors with her experience in language, inspired Jeyashree to start her very own company, Sol. Sol is an app that connects everyday travelers with an on-demand translator instantly via video. Essentially, an “Uber for interpretation or cultural help.”

Sol was featured at NC State’s annual Wolf Den competition and received tremendous support from the entrepreneurship community. So much support in fact, that they have invited Jeyashree to become a Miller Fellow, a program that will allow her to work full time on Sol after graduation by providing her with a monthly stipend as well as continued support and connections at NC State. Jeyashree states that the support from NC State’s entire entrepreneurship community is “the only reason she’s gotten that far.” She specifically mentions the mentor program, venture studios, and the eClinic as the most valuable support systems for her.

Jeyashree takes full advantage of everything she comes across and these organizations are no different. Jeyashree has used the mentor program for advice ranging from financial statements to customer interactions. Jeyashree has seen the first-hand experience that the venture studio has provided her in working with real companies within an academic setting. Jeyashree shared that being within the eClinic is great for small businesses and is “inspiring to be in that setting.” Jeyashree is also an involved Entrepreneurship Ambassador where she helped plan events like Wolf Den during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) and volunteered for Start Here Mondays where she helped introduce other students into the entrepreneurship ecosystem at NC State.

With everything Jeyashree is involved in, we all wonder what advice she recommends? Jeyashree replies “take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. Build lasting relationships with as many people as you can.” She reflects and shares this is what she has done throughout her time at NC State and cannot be more grateful. Her gratitude is sincere as the final words she wanted to add was that she is “extremely grateful for the people that are at NC State entrepreneurship” she “couldn’t imagine doing it without their guidance and support.” 

This post was originally published in Entrepreneurship News.