Bracelets by Mia Krishnamurthy’s ’19 company, Beads by the Water.
According to Forbes, fewer than 3.6% of businesses are owned by people under 30. An even smaller number of those businesses are owned by high school students. Despite these numbers, there are many on Choate campus who have created their own businesses — making entrepreneurship a facet of campus life.
As announced at a previous school meeting, Jabali Walli, a business run by Sarah Gurevitch ’19, aims to sell preppy clothing on campus. The business’s name comes from the Spanish word “jabalí,” which means wild boar, and Walli, which is short for Wallingford. All proceeds will be donated to Choate’s financial aid fund.
“Coming to Choate was a dream come true for me, and I wanted to give back to the school,” Gurevitch said. “I actually presented this idea when I interviewed here at Choate, so I had this idea even before I came here.” A month into the school year, Gurevitch set her plan into motion, contacting various faculty before reaching Mr. Jim Yanelli, Director of Student Activities, and the Communications Office, which has specific guidelines for the use of the Choate logo.
“I drew the wild boar by hand to start off, and Communications helped digitalize it and create electronic mock ups,” Gurevitch said. She added, “Mr. Yanelli was more of the logistics, but he helped in the design process as well.”
The final shirt design features the words “Jabali Walli” on the front pocket and sleeve. A wild boar, meant to represent the company’s ties to the Choate community, is displayed on the back of the shirt.
Photo courtesy of Jabali Walli
Jabali Walli shirts, which sell for $28 each, are made from ring-spun cotton and produced at Tee-It Up, a factory in Wallingford that also produced Choate’s Deerfield Day shirts. “It’s a very interesting project,” said Alix MacKillop ’18. “It mixes charity with fashion, and I think selling these high-quality shirts will be a very profitable business.”
“The basis is that it’s supposed to support school spirit and help with the financial aid department, but I’ve been getting responses from people I don’t even know who want to buy a shirt,” said Gurevitch. Ideas for future Jabali Walli products include stickers, hats, and sports-specific shirts.
Mia Krishnamurthy ’19 also has her own business, Beads By The Water, which sells handmade bracelets and necklaces. “I have been beading since I was little, and I love jewelry making. It’s one way that I can center my focus and relieve stress,” Krishnamurthy explained. “It was last April when I started my business; kids saw me wear my jewelry and asked for it, so I started making and I realized I needed to start selling because it was taking a lot of my time.”
In addition to selling bracelets and necklaces, Krishnamurthy offers anklets and stretchy chokers. Bracelets run for $5-$8, while necklaces and chokers range from $11-$20. Keeley Osborn ’18, who purchased a choker from Krishnamurthy, commented, “I think that Mia’s necklaces are beautiful and long lasting. I personally got to pick out the beads that I wanted, which makes the necklaces more personal.”
While Krishnamurthy’s jewelry is popular at Choate, her biggest market is in her hometown. Selling on Etsy and on her own private website, Krishnamurthy has expanded the business beyond Wallingford.
With the proceeds she receives, Krishnamurthy donates to Squash Haven, an organization based in New Haven that teaches children from low-income families how to play squash and provides academic aid to its participants. “I am in love with the sport of squash and am a huge advocate for the spread of the game,” said Krishnamurthy, who is on the Choate squash team.
“It’s really cool making money, but you have to balance out your academics and not put it number one,” Krishnamurthy concluded. “Make sure that, with the demand, you have to put your own needs first.”
The Choate Start Up, a new club established during the 2016 spring term, hopes to foster similar attitudes of entrepreneurship among Choate students. Led by Gavin Coulson ’17, Maria Cabrera Aguado ’17, and Arielle Kassinove ’17, this student group was originally intended to be a college-like competitive business team; however, it soon became a club instead. During the club’s first month, members brainstormed different product ideas. Ultimately, the group decided to focus their efforts on a single project: creating swim trunks with waterproof pockets. “If you’re at the beach alone, and you don’t want to leave your phone and keys there, you just put it in your pocket,” explained Cabrera, emphasizing the utility of the project.
“Right now, we got the idea and materials, so we’re actually starting to make the pockets,” said Cabrera. “We ordered the zippers and waterproofing material, and we got swim trunks already.”
On the importance of entrepreneurship to Choate students, Cabrera commented, “Choate encompasses innovation: getting students to think for themselves and prepare for the future. I think entrepreneurship projects help students work in teams, develop leadership skills, and think outside the box.”
