International Impact

When Jaiden Asch arrived at University Park, he reestablished the dormant chapter of the international nonprofit Global Business Brigades, which provides free consulting to small businesses in need. “I loved traveling abroad, but I always wanted to find ways to give back and add value,” says Asch, the chapter’s current president. Last year, 10 members flew to Greece and developed a marketing strategy for the country’s first hijab store, along with advising a supermarket on branding, pricing strategy, and floor layout—informed by consumer psychology—to boost sales.

Ag Venture

In 2023, Asch co-founded Shamba Share, which increases access to agricultural equipment for Kenyan farmers. (Shamba means “small farm” in Swahili.) Asch spent many early mornings on Zoom interviewing farmers about their needs before visiting some of them in East Africa last May to discuss rental program ideas.

Money Matters

During his time at Penn State, Asch has helped peers learn about personal finance; he’s presented on the topic in first-year seminars and is certified as a financial peer mentor.

Foreign Currency

Asch will lead the Global Business Brigades on a weeklong trip to Panama in May to assist three small businesses and a local bank. The group had a nine-week seminar series last semester  to prepare and will spend the spring outlining specific plans.
 

Conducting Business

As a senior associate in the student-led Nittany Lion Consulting Group, Asch works on real-time projects and says he’s learning important lessons on everything from email etiquette to how to dress. Says Asch, “Those lessons have been so beneficial to everything I’ve involved myself in.”