Our story

University of Southern California students, in partnership with the City Champion and local entrepreneur, Jason Reuben, brought this program to Los Angeles to empower and foster the entrepreneurial education of our neighborhood’s children. Through a direct mentorship program, our USC student mentors teach the children about basic business practices such as profits, expenses, loans, and marketing.

Lemonade Day USC is an official student organization at the University of Southern California. This is Lemonade Day’s very first chapter in the Southern California region. The student organization was founded by a USC Marshall School of Business junior, Michelle Wolzinger. Michelle had previously attended the George Washington University in DC where she was introduced to Lemonade Day. When she transferred to USC, she knew she had to bring the inspiring program to USC. From then, the chapter was born. She recruited eight other executive members for the Lemonade Day’s debut in 2016.

LA 4-7th graders need dedicated student leaders to inspire the next generation’s business leaders. Lemonade Day USC is a community wide educational program designed to empower today’s youth to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs through helping them start, own and operate their very own business… a lemonade stand! USC student mentors walk LA youth through an Entrepreneur Workbook that allows Lemonade Day participants to experience entrepreneurship first hand!

USC is just the start– our vision is for all the prominent universities in Los Angeles to acquire their own chapters and collectively inspire our youth through Lemonade Day.

OUR IMPACT:

Through Lemonade Day, youth learn the steps and planning necessary to start a business, but just as importantly, learn valuable life skills such as leadership, collaboration, responsibility, and teamwork. They learn to Set a Goal, Make a Plan, and Work their Plan to Achieve their Dreams. In the process they experience a new level of confidence, and some for the first time, see new possibilities for their future.

WHO WE ARE:

Co-Founder & City Director:  Michelle Wolzinger

Michelle Wolzinger, born and raised in Southern California, is passionate about the social impact sector. She is currently a senior at USC studying Business Administration and Social Entrepreneurship. As the City Director, Michelle is responsible for launching and growing Lemonade Day in Los Angeles. As a Business Development Intern for a non-profit professional dance company, Michelle worked on financial solutions for the company, increased fundraising, built relationships with sponsors and donors, and developed a sustainable business plan. Having studied at both USC and George Washington University in D.C., she has been exposed to bi-coastal perspectives on business and entrepreneurship. In her travels to Tokyo and Shanghai, Michelle visited international schools and became inspired to launch a program at USC, Lemonade Day, to integrate entrepreneurship lessons into low-income area schools. At the intersection of business and education, she believes in connecting the missing link that exists in education programs by redefining necessary skills in students and supporting children in becoming influential business leaders and social advocates of the future.

Brian Walsh – VP of External Relations and Fundraising

Brian Walsh is currently a Senior in the Leventhal School of Accounting working towards earning his Master of Accounting in four years. He is from Morris Country, New Jersey but decided to leave the East Coast for college in his pursuit to live life to the fullest. Not one to sit around, Brian enjoys being as involved as possible. He is currently a Tour Guide for USC, involved in Marshal Business Student Government, Troy Camp (the largest and oldest philanthropy on campus), and is excited to impact even more people through Lemonade Day. He also enjoys traveling outside America, having gone to Tanzania, Singapore, and multiple countries across Europe. Brian just became SCUBA certified this past summer and is currently working towards convincing his parents to allow him to obtain both his pilots and skydiving license though attempts thus far have been unsuccessful :( . 

Cesar Magdaleno – VP Financial Development

Cesar Magdaleno is a fourth-year Gates Scholar at the USC Marshall School of Business. He’s a lifelong Los Angeles resident whose professional interests include marketing and investing in the stock market. He is a member of the Trojan Investment Society and the Trojan Trading Group, has interned for virtual investment company, Zolio, and is part of a private market commentary group in his hometown, but mostly likes researching on his own.  Eventually, he hopes to start his own investment firm. In his free time, Cesar enjoys working out, reading and giving back to his community. In 2012, he received a Congressional Commendation and a Prudential Spirit Award for outstanding community service and involvement, and has lived up to the certificate implications since. Finally, as the winner of multiple speaker competitions, Cesar hopes to use award-winning communication skills to one day lead his own service group in Los Angeles.

Emily Lowe – VP of University Relations

Emily is a freshman from Suffield, Connecticut studying business administration. In high school, she spent her sophomore and junior years extensively fundraising for a nonprofit organization for an orphanage in Ghana called Hearts of Our Father. Her senior year she worked closely with her school’s student government to fundraise for a nonprofit organization based out of Uganda called SPOUTS of water, helping to provide access to clean water for underprivileged families and schools. Emily and one of her classmates were lucky enough to be featured on FOX CT for their work with SPOUTS. Emily looks forward to doing nonprofit work at USC and helping get USC students involved in Lemonade Day. In her free time, Emily enjoys swimming, running and hiking.