Siobhán always dreamed of opening her own place, but had no idea where to start. “My lecturers were supportive, but it was the alumni mentorship group that changed everything,” she says. She was matched with a TUS graduate who had opened restaurants in New York and London, and their monthly Zoom check-ins gave her the confidence to build a solid business plan.

Thanks to mentorship from both alumni and her former program head, Siobhán landed a small grant and built a brand rooted in sustainability. Her café has now been featured in several publications and she returns to TUS regularly as a guest speaker.