Meet Alexandra Blake,
Class of 2024
Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Senior studying Finance & Entrepreneurship with a minor in Writing.
Q: What organizations/activities are you involved in here at Olin? Any outside of Olin?
A: I was a two-time TA for Endgame of Entrepreneurship, my favorite class I’ve taken at WashU, and now for OB360 with Jon Bogard, another favorite class I’ve taken at WashU. Outside of Olin, aside from Cross Country and Track, I’m also a LIVE facilitator (Leaders in Interpersonal Violence Education).
Q: What is something that you’ve done/accomplished in your time at WashU/Olin that you are most proud of?
A: Getting an A in AFM. Half kidding, but I did work really hard in that class. Also winning the Olin Cup with my Hatchery team in fall of 2022 was pretty cool.
Q: What are your favorite things to do outside of school?
A: Running (surprise), reading, spending time in nature.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do/place to go in St. Louis?
A: Forest Park is incredible and I’m grateful that running has allowed me to explore much of it. I still really want to try archery, golfing, racketball, see the Jewel Box, and visit the Balloon Festival, but I think I’ve seen and done everything else…
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the incoming first-year students, what would it be?
A: Befriend your professors and take advantage of office hours. Olin professors love connecting with students, and it’s awesome to be able to talk more in depth about your shared passions, research, and other topics. Plus, you never know when a connection could lead to a cool opportunity!
Meet Izzy Gorton,
Class of 2025
Hometown: Dubuque, IA
Major: Junior studying Econ & Strat and Organizational & Strategic Management with a Minor in Design
Q: What organizations/activities are you involved in here at Olin? Any outside of Olin?
A: Track & Field
Q: What is something that you’ve done/accomplished in your time at WashU/Olin that you are most proud of?
A: I started a breakfast company called ChiChi Foods with my co-founder Chiara Munzi in The League. We have since raised $75,000 in on-dilutive funding through pitch competitions throughout the US and Canada! Right now we sell online and in grocery stores around St. Louis and in Bristol Farms in LA. Right now we are competing in a reality TV pitch competition elimination show for a chance to win 100k, the competition ended at the end of January and will be airing in April on a major streaming service! I do all of the design for our company and work on sales, product development, and customer research. For more check out our website chickpeaoats.com or Insta/TikTok @chickpeaoats
Q: What are your favorite things to do outside of school?
A: I love to sing and I do voice lessons at WashU, I love to spend time with friends.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do/place to go in St. Louis?
A: I like the food in STL a lot, and running in Forest Park
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the incoming first-year students, what would it be?
A: Challenge yourself and if you want to do something WashU has all of the resources, so use them while you can! Don’t put pressure on yourself for what you think you “should” be doing, pay attention to what you care about the most naturally and put more time into it. But mostly just have fun, it’s college!