The Online Reflector

From going to class and studying to running their own businesses, University of  Indianapolis students succeed in many areas. Junior international business major Rawan Aldosari, senior communication major Sam Withers and senior communication and psychology major Kathlene Denhard are three students who run businesses in addition to managing their course loads and other responsibilities.

 

Aldosari said she began her photography business in her home country of Saudi Arabia and has found quite a bit of success in her business. She said she was reluctant to leave it behind to study at UIndy, but she values getting an education and sees a place for both in her future. Because she is an international student, she cannot formally continue her business while studying during the year, but she has five employees do so while she is away.

Her photography has spread to the surrounding region, and she photographs in Dubai and Bahrain. Aldosari initially marketed her business on Blackberry Messenger. Since then, her work has spread by word of mouth from customers and her social media accounts on Instagram (@RawanMohammad_) and Twitter (@RawanMohammad).

She mainly concentrates on what she terms start-of-life photography with her business, focusing on newborns and weddings. She said that her work is well-liked because she uses a modern, European style rather than the more old-fashioned style that other Saudi photographers use. Aldosari said that her work is unique because she talks to her subjects to make them feel comfortable and as a result her photos look more natural.

“When she [the bride] smiled it was real, when she laughed it was real: this is what made me popular,” Aldosari said. “When people see the photo, they know it is not fake.”

In addition to doing what she loves, Aldosari has gained money and something that is less tangible.

“There are two sides to the profit—there is the experience and the money profit,” Aldosari said. “And the most important thing is the people that I meet and become a friends with later. There are so many brides who I photographed their wedding and we are friends now.”

Withers owns a violin and mandolin studio in his hometown of  Columbus, Ind. He started Withers String Studio when he was a sophomore in high school, but he has been giving lessons to friends and family since age 12.  He said that his business has taken off more since he started college, and he has even had to let some students go because of school and other work commitments. He has a partnership with the Columbus Philharmonic and also teaches summer classes there, which in turn refers more students to his studio.

Withers said that he has a special relationship with his students that goes beyond just being their teacher. He is also like a big brother.

“Seeing these kids smile in happiness while they tell me about their latest achievements is priceless,” Withers said. “We cry, we laugh, we gossip, we tell each other anything that is on our minds. And by building this relationship of trust with them, they are able to completely open up to me and I can teach them in the way that I know will be best fit for their learning styles and their potential success.”

Although some people get tired of things from their childhood, Withers said that he still loves sharing his passion for music and passing knowledge on to his students even after 10 years.

“It is a passion for me, and I will never stop teaching. I started doing it so young because I was too young to get a real job, and I wanted money. It was the single best reason for me to start teaching at the time. However I was only 12,” Withers said. “I am now 22 and cannot believe what it has turned out to be. I definitely is a chapter of my life that I am not sure will ever end.”

Denhard runs a nonprofit called Kans for Kids. She started the company in 2011 while she was working as a YMCA site director for the youth enrichment program at IPS #114. According to Denhard the school has an extremely high rate of students who get free and reduced price lunches and some of the students complained to her that they were hungry. She started out with just stocking a closet with snacks for the kids, but she was inspired to do more.

She said that she ended up starting the program when she learned that a grant that allowed School #114 to put together baskets fell through.

“Working with the children on a daily basis, I knew how important those baskets were to the families,” Denhard said. “I asked what I could do to help.”

That first year, Denhard said that Kans for Kids was quickly thrown together with the help of her family, Central Hall and other community partners. It was still able to feed 30 families for three weeks as well as open a food pantry in the school.

Kans for Kids started out as a program that just assembled Christmas baskets that included nonperishable food items, cleaning supplies and a ham or turkey for needy families. However, it has expanded to include donations for Christmas toys, coats and blankets as well as a year-round food pantry at the school. Denhard said that this expansion is due in no small part to her partnership with UIndy.

“Kans for Kids would not be anywhere near what it is today without the help of the University of Indianapolis and every single person that has helped us,” she said. “I genuinely cannot thank them enough.”

This year, the UIndy men’s basketball team is partnering with Kans for Kids to throw a Christmas party for 15 student athletes from IPS #114 who cannot afford new uniforms. This is only one thing that the campus community has done to help out Kans for Kids.

For more information check out the Kans for Kids Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kans-for-Kids/408629589242266?ref=hl

 

Denhard said that she has always found joy in giving and that running Kans for Kids has been rewarding.

“The first year Kans for Kids delivered the baskets to IPS #114, I had a parent come up to me hysterically crying and say, ‘Because of this, I have a gift to give my child this year,’” Denhard said. “I could not control my tears at that point. I lost it. To this day, that still gives me goosebumps.”

Denhard said that she never envisioned herself as head of a nonprofit and did not have a clear path for her future before Kans for Kids and UIndy.

“My life perspective was never a very clear thing to me until I started Kans for Kids. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my life, and let me tell you, the thought of founding a nonprofit never crossed my mind,” she said. “I know when I leave the University of Indianapolis, I will leave with the biggest smile knowing that I went to school having no idea who I would be when I came out, and now as a senior getting ready to graduate, I have found myself.”