Press Release

May 18, 2020 | By Cole Hatcher

Ohio Wesleyan’s Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars Program is a competitive program that supports students seeking to become the next generation of business trailblazers. The scholars take special classes, receive funds to support an internship, and develop their own entrepreneurial venture. (Photo by Paul Molitor)

Business Intelligence

Ohio Wesleyan Announces 2020 Class of Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars

DELAWARE, Ohio – The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship at Ohio Wesleyan University has selected six students for its 2020 class of Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars. The competitive program supports OWU students seeking to become the next generation of business trailblazers.

Ohio Wesleyan’s 2020 Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars are:

  • Haris Ali of Lahore, Pakistan
  • Jayden Byfield-Ramirez of Washington, D.C.
  • Jack Foley of North Potomac, Maryland
  • Emma Hinkle of Dover, Ohio
  • Mayson Martin of Mount Gilead, Ohio
  • Param Singh of New Delhi, India

“The Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars Program is an interdisciplinary program open to all OWU students,” said Glenn A. Bryan, DBA, associate professor of business administration. “The program is designed to embrace students with a wide background of business familiarity and coursework while making the program experience meaningful. The program provides entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge, and experience.”

In their first semester of the program (spring of their sophomore year), scholars learn about the entrepreneurial mindset by attending the entrepreneurial seminar, interacting with an online learning module, and meeting with various entrepreneurs in group and private settings.

In the summer, scholars continue their online learning covering the basics of a business startup while focusing on their own business idea. This learning is self-paced and allows students with no business experience or coursework to learn the basics of a business startup in a manageable way. It also focuses the learning experience on developing a business plan for their own idea or concept. Students have the opportunity to have a business plan draft completed by the end of the summer.

In their second semester of the program (fall of their junior year), scholars will participate in an entrepreneurial internship tailored to their skill and knowledge level. A majority of these internships will be in partnership with the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University, a business accelerator located on the OWU campus and created in collaboration with both Delaware County and the City of Delaware.

The program culminates in a signature trip to visit OWU alumni engaged in entrepreneurial ventures, enabling the Latham Scholars to learn and experience how OWU alumni are pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams using the educational foundation received at Ohio Wesleyan.

The Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars Program was created with the support of OWU graduate Carol Latham, Class of 1961. She is the retired founder, president, and CEO of Thermagon, Inc., a custom manufacturer of high performance heat-transfer materials for electronic components. Under her leadership, Thermagon grew to sales of $18 million annually worldwide.

The program is open to sophomores who have achieved a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Candidates interview with at least one Latham Entrepreneurial Scholars committee member and submit a letter of reference from an OWU faculty member.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Woltemade Center at owu.edu/woltemade, more about its Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at owu.edu/delaware-entrepreneurial-center, and more about the OWU Department of Economics and Business at owu.edu/economics.


Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 25 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at owu.edu.