April 22, 2025— Tyler Mecca '27 came to Marist looking for a place to call home. As a first-year student, he noticed that there was a group of motivated students within the School of Management that were passionate about entrepreneurship.

The spirit of risk and profit inspired Tyler to create Marist Young Entrepreneurs (MYE). The new club fosters a community of academically invested students committed to building business and creating opportunities.

After gauging student interest, Tyler, a business major with concentration in finance and a minor in accounting, gathered a group of highly motivated peers to present his idea to the School of Management. Together, they created new club that would help support their entrepreneurship aspirations beyond the classroom.

“I have a passion for start-ups and entrepreneurship, and I wanted to share that with other students,” said Tyler.

According to Dr. David Gavin, faculty advisor to MYE, today’s entrepreneurs shape the future, whether launching new ventures, growing existing ones, or bringing fresh ideas to established companies.

“Entrepreneurship is often associated with starting new businesses, but it is so much more than that,” said Dr. Gavin. “Corporations of all sizes want entrepreneurs (intrapreneurs) who can help them stay ahead of the competition. The Marist Young Entrepreneurs Club is an excellent addition to the entrepreneurship program curriculum and students involved will have an enormous head-start in shaping the future.”

The club meets bi-weekly, and has seen a dramatic spike in attendance since its creation in fall of 2024. According to Tyler, club membership increased by over 250%.

"Last semester we saw about eighteen members per meeting, focusing on resume building skills," Tyler said. "We were able to work with the Center for Career Services to get materials for these workshops we held at meetings."

Tyler Mecca '27 facilitates a meeting of the newly created Marist Young Entrepreneurs Club. Photo by Kaylie Locke '27, MYE Marketing Chair.

“Tyler Mecca has done an outstanding job as the leader and co-founder of the Marist Young Entrepreneurs Club,” said Dr. Gavin. “The club has focused on guest speakers and experiential learning activities for its members.”

Not only is MYE focused on connecting students to faculty, alumni, and administrators, but Tyler said it is also focused on “connecting like-minded students to entrepreneurial concepts.”

Currently, the club is planning a university-wide innovation challenge. Students will have the opportunity to test their innovation skills while solving problems.

“We are hoping to continue planning events to inspire students, and keep them connected to faculty,” Tyler said.

The students will be placed into groups and compete to create a product or a service. The strongest idea will move to the Mid-Hudson Valley Business Plan Competition, which Tyler said “will give students real world experiences.”

Experiential Learning in the School of Management
Tyler’s work with Marist Young Entrepreneurs has contributed to invaluable leadership skills across his campus involvement. In addition to being the Founder of MYE, Tyler is also a Project Lead for the Marist Consulting Group, which helps students to connect with local businesses to help them advertise their organizations.

Tyler works through his Executive Report for Marist Consulting Group in the Marist University Student Investment Center. Photo by Karissa Latin '25/Marist University

“I am creating a market insights report on the Hudson Valley to find startups that are looking for consulting opportunities,” Tyler said. “I am able to give other students hands-on experiences based on their strengths”.

Tyler is also involved with the Greystone Equity Fund, a student-managed investment fund that uses real capital to invest in the stock market. Through this role, he is responsible for helping School of Management faculty work with an investment fund, which serves as one of many of Marist’s experiential learning opportunities.

Outside of the Classroom
Outside of the School of Management, he is one of two Administrative Coordinators for Student Government Association (SGA). He connected with student government during his first semester on campus. Here he worked with the student body president on the executive board to foster real change for students.

When Tyler isn’t busy in the School of Management, in the Student Government Office, or planning innovative events for Marist Young Entrepreneurs, he can be found reading or learning more about cars.

To learn more about Marist Young Entrepreneurs, visit them on Instagram.