Generation Y Capitalizing on Entrepreneurial Dreams

July 14, 2010 by Tamara Bell

[HTML1] Sean McCleese is the second guest in Keeping Up with Gen Y’s new monthly series, Y Gen Entrepreneurs. Sean is founder and CEO of StudentofFortune.com, a California-based online tutorial company that connects students who need homework help with thousands of tutors who specialize in their areas of interest.

Sean joins Keeping Up with Gen Y to talk about the importance of young people keeping the faith when starting their new ventures. He also offers his story as encouragement to other Generation Y who may believe their dreams of entrepreneurship are out of reach.

More about Sean McCleese
It started with a quantum physics class at a local Los Angeles college.

Sean McCleese was 15 when he was accepted at Occidental College, skipping high school because he felt it was “boring” and not where he wanted to be.

Jump a few years later and it’s late at night. Sean faced a homework problem he could not solve. The assignment was due the next day, the professor was at home, and there was no way to search for the equation online. He didn’t need help with the entire assignment — just one tough question.

That evening, the idea behind Sean’s business, StudentofFortune.com, was born.

Student of Fortune is a California-based online tutorial company that connects students who need homework help with thousands of tutors who specialize in their areas of interest. Sean is the Chief Executive Officer of the self-financed, privately held company.

Sean received his bachelor’s degree from Occidental College in 2005, and is currently studying for his master’s degree at the University of Southern California. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his two cats.

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About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.