Kelsey Renda on Growing@Shea

Entrepreneurial growth happens like any growth–at times deliberately, often serendipitously, and usually in ways you’d never expect. Kelsey Renda ’12, MBA ’18, knows the ebbs and flows and twists and turns of entrepreneurial life firsthand. As the Shea Center’s assistant director for the past five years, she and the campus startup hub have literally grown up together. 

Yet, unpredictable as the startup life may be, Renda wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

Prior to landing at Shea, the communications major spent three years at the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, a seminal period that gave her a window into the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. She caught the entrepreneurial bug and came to BC eager to embrace everything the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship had to offer.

On “a startup in a 160-year-old institution” 

“I’m thankful for the growth opportunity the Shea Center has offered me,” Renda said. “We like to consider ourselves a startup in a 160-year-old institution. We’re growing, trying new programs–some fail and some are successful. We learn from both and adapt. 

“You could say I grew professionally as much as the Shea Center has,” she added.

When she first started her job five years ago, Renda was “definitely more focused on planning and executing events.” While that's still a big part of her job, she’s now responsible for a variety of clubs and programs. She advises the Women Innovators Network, Consultants for Social Impact, and Start@Shea. She also manages the center’s Entrepreneur in Residence and internship stipend programs.

And if that weren’t enough, Renda helps put together TechTrek courses, mentor students with business ideas, and run the center’s many annual events. 

In a busy place where “change is a constant,” as she puts it, Renda keeps a lot of plates spinning.

On staying true to the mission

Despite the constant state of change at Shea, one thing hasn’t changed–the center’s mission. Back in 2015 when the center first opened its doors, its mission was to instill an entrepreneurial mindset in BC students while building a community for entrepreneurs to share thoughts and ideas. That’s still the mission today. 

“We enable students to create their own opportunities through the curation of the entrepreneur’s mindset–initiative, adaptability, resilience, and self-awareness,” Renda said. “Whether you want to start your own company, pursue a career in a startup, co-concentrate in entrepreneurship, or just learn more, the Shea Center is the place to start.”

Renda says the institution now considers the center’s mission any time they add new programs and events. From academics to experiential opportunities, it’s about “integrating entrepreneurial thinking into the educational and formational experience of students throughout Boston College.”

Thanks in great part to the Shea Center, the old adage about a good idea coming from anywhere is now ingrained in the BC philosophy. 

“We want to interact with students across the University, no matter what background or discipline they come from,” Renda said, “because we know that entrepreneurship can come from any field–not just business.”

On mentoring and being mentored

Renda loves mentoring students and says they’ve been instrumental in the Shea Center’s growth. 

She credits her own mentor, Shea Center Director Jere Doyle, with much of her personal and professional growth over the past five years. 

“He’s more than a mentor, he’s really a sponsor for me,” she said. “He offers support and guidance as a traditional mentor would, but he does much more than just that. He goes to bat on my behalf.”

Doyle does for Renda what we all need to grow in our careers–he advocates. 

“If a new opportunity arises, he makes sure to give me a legitimate shot to take on a new project or step into a new role,” she said. 

“Although he’s my boss, there is no hierarchy,” she added. “He’s taught me so much about leadership. He is constantly encouraging me to think outside the box and try things outside my comfort zone.”

On the rewards of a startup culture

Renda, in turn, does the same for the students she mentors. 

“I love to encourage students to get out of their comfort zone and come to one of our events or workshops,” she said. “They may love it, they may hate it, but at least they tried, and it brings them one step closer to deciding what they want to do at graduation.”

Given her passion and the center’s infectious culture, Renda often succeeds at motivating students to join in.

“The people I’ve met through the Shea Center who are building businesses are so passionate about what they do,” she said. “They create incredible workplace cultures and work so hard to make their dreams a reality.”

It’s little wonder that if she weren’t working as the center’s assistant director, Renda would want to work at a startup. 

“There is nothing more challenging than starting a company, but there's also something so rewarding about it,” she said.