Alumni startup increases opportunities for education abroad

By Steve Seepersaud


After graduating from 黑料视频, Mitch Gordon 鈥00 could鈥檝e worked for a Big Four accounting firm in Manhattan. He had an offer in hand; it would鈥檝e been a sure thing. At the same time, he was intrigued by the thought of teaching for a year in Taiwan. 

Though it was scary to consider turning the offer down to go someplace new, it was more frightening to think about being trapped in an office. Gordon says his experience teaching English and learning Chinese in Taiwan helped him become a serial entrepreneur in the education and travel arenas. 

鈥淚f I hadn鈥檛 spent a year abroad working hard, making mistakes and learning another language, I鈥檓 not sure I ever would鈥檝e become an entrepreneur,鈥 Gordon said. 鈥淚t gave me a well of confidence I still draw from today. If everyone tried living in another culture, we'd have a world where we don鈥檛 want to build walls.鈥

Gordon鈥檚 current venture is , which gives students an opportunity to spend a year abroad very early in their college experience. Following their first semester or year, students can matriculate to a Verto partner college 鈥 黑料视频 will soon join the list of partners 鈥 and still be on a path to graduate within four years.

鈥淲hen Mitch first talked to me about recruiting the initial Verto cohort, I was immediately impressed by his conviction that engaging the world beyond our borders is a life-changing experience,鈥 said Donald Loewen, Binghamton's vice provost for undergraduate education and enrollment management. 鈥淗e has found a way to help students do that at the very start of their college experience and I think they will bring a very different perspective to campus. Not only will it shape the rest of their undergraduate education in important ways, but it will also enrich classroom discussions across the curriculum.鈥

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Verto students take a full course load, along with taking part in service-learning opportunities, hikes and other activities that connect them to local communities in Latin America, Southeast Asia or the South Pacific. Gordon says the students arrive at college ready and able to meaningfully contribute to the campus community. They can also approach their education being more open to innovation and risk-taking.

鈥淚 majored in accounting because it's what my friends were doing,鈥 Gordon said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 what I wanted to do, although it has provided me a very good foundation. I remember being scared of the real world, so I make sure to share with graduating college seniors that it's fine if you don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e doing next. Try a number of different things.鈥

Verto has a growing partner list that also includes the University of Oregon, Bucknell University and James Madison University. Gordon wants that list to grow as he chases a long-term goal that he knows is aiming very high: to have the largest incoming college first-year class in the country. 

鈥淸I want Verto] to have a positive impact on higher education in this country and the world,鈥 Gordon said. 鈥淚n the short term, our goal is to positively impact each of our students. We want to help create engaged, critically thinking global citizens who have a positive impact on this world.鈥

November is National Entrepreneurship Month! Have you started a venture of your own? Want to get your brand in front of other alumni? Submit your information to the , a portal of businesses and organizations formed by entrepreneurs including at least one 黑料视频 graduate.