How one class became a bright future

In his second year as a marketing and business management major at Case Western Reserve University, Adrian Hattan took a course called "Creativity in Design & Business." The course set him on a path that has led to his current position as a Venture for America Fellow.

I recently talked with Adrian, a 2020 Weatherhead School of Management alum, about his journey and the CWRU opportunities that set him on his course.

The CWRU class that started it:
“For Creativity in Design & Business, our big project was to systemize a social problem. Our team ended up creating a relational, non-competitive board game experience that used Aristotle's Ethics of Friendship to bring people closer together. We ended up working with CWRU's LaunchNet to evolve our idea. We went to pitch competitions and explored ways to go to market with our beloved game. It made me realize that I would much rather be working to create and evolve ideas with a small team than to be working in a long chain of command in a large company.” 

The internships and research that built skills:
“During my first semester, I got a job as a student programming coordinator at the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, and I spent my four years working part-time at the center. I also worked as a digital marketing intern for a Cleveland marketing agency, Brandmuscle, Inc., managing social content, working on projects with other interns and tackling problems my digital marketing team was experiencing. During my senior year, I worked with Professor Cassi Pittman-Claytor on market research on brands and consumers' responses to retail racism and inclusive vs. exclusive marketing. After that project wrapped, I was able to help her with forming the marketing strategy and social media presence around the launch of her new book.” 

The work he’s doing now:
“As a Venture for America Fellow, I've been working as the Marketing Lead for Emvitals, an emotional health tech startup in Cleveland. I've been a part of the growth of a tech product venture and have learned what it takes to develop a marketing and sales strategy that fits our team size and resources while bringing us forward in the market. I've been learning a lot about lead generation, email marketing, content and project management. Simultaneously, I've been working to connect with and create a community for other CWRU and VFA-affiliated people and am currently helping two CWRU alumni with growing their cosmetics ventures.”

That’s what happens in business at CWRU: Classes that inspire lead to real-world experiences, culminating in a career trajectory that is boundless.