The Horn Hen of the month article series is a brand new series dedicated to highlighting Horn students that are inspiring others and impacting their community. One nominated Horn student will be chosen each month and a written feature will document their hard work and progress as they go through their time at Horn.
The winning student will receive a gift card, a Horn Hen of the Month certificate, and will have a feature written about them and the work that they are doing outside of the Horn community.
To nominate a student, fill out this Google form. Any student involved with Horn Entrepreneurship is eligible to be nominated.
For the month of November we have chosen Emilie Jane Delaye for the Horn Hen of the Month award. She hails from a small town in Pennsylvania called Camp Hill. Emilie is a Junior, Entrepreneurship major with a minor in Fashion Management. When asked what Emilie plans to do with her degree, she mentioned that she finds people get too attached to what their major is and in turn what it means they can be. Therefore, she plans to use entrepreneurship in any way that she wants, whether that be in her own company or an already existing one. Entrepreneurship gives her the flexibility and opportunity to adapt. There is no one set way of doing things.
Both of Emilie’s parents are entrepreneurs so she grew up doing entrepreneurial things without even knowing it. When she was young, Emilie would try new things and figure out how to monetize them. Since she has four siblings and a big family, they were always her first customers. She can recall having spas where she would make her own lip scrubs and l lotions. At one point, she even had a cleaning service where she would do her siblings chores for a cost. Using her artistic skills, Emilie would create clothes to sell to her friends and family. Eventually, her interest in entrepreneurship would grow because of a mentality that wouldn’t allow her to settle. Emilie refuses to believe that the struggles she and others face can’t be solved. Going through the Horn Entrepreneurship program, she has pivoted multiple times and spoke with numerous people about her potential ideas. Currently, she is focusing her efforts on solving issues women with chronic illness face when it comes to proper diagnosis and treatment plans. Emilie herself has struggled with a myriad of health issues, including Lyme disease and PANS/PANDAS disease. Through those experiences, she has seen how inherent biases in the medicinal system towards women have caused many issues on their journeys towards healthy lives.
There are several programs at UD that she has taken part in that have served her goals in many ways. Emilie has been a Horn Ambassador, Horn TA, a part of VentureOn, attended a World’s Scholars Trip, and participated in the American Host Partner Program. Emilie mentions that her biggest takeaway isn’t about the list of things she can tell you she’s a part of or has accomplished. Moreso, it’s about being able to explore new opportunities, interests, and passions of hers while also learning. It is the best thing a person can ask for. Emilie is a big advocate for Horn Entrepreneurship and describes the community in one word - nurturing. She shared, The people and places associated with Horn are truly what it means to be nurturing. Horn was designed to provide people with the support and care they need to be the best versions of themselves. People grow, friendships grow, and the world becomes a little bit better when communities like Horn Entrepreneurship exist.” When looking for advice or mentorship surrounding her entrepreneurial ideas she turns to her close friends whom she met through the Horn program. She states that community sessions are the best way to interact with everyone in the Horn community. The people there are intelligent, good hearted and want everyone in attendance to succeed in the world.
When asked what entrepreneur is the biggest inspiration for her own career, Emilie brought up our very own Vince DiFelice. She says she doesn’t just admire him for being successful in business, but also for doing what a lot of others don’t when they accomplish what society calls “success”. He devotes much of his time to pass on the knowledge and lessons he’s learned to people like Emilie. She mentioned that one day, she hopes to be an entrepreneur like Vince, an entrepreneur who has changed the world and changes students' lives.
If Emilie could tell an incoming freshman one piece of advice it would be to “come as you are''. Emilie recalls spending a lot of her time when she was young comparing herself to others and never truly accepting her value as they are. She vocalized, “Once you recognize that who you are is valuable enough, you gain access to all the value and love and it starts to grow.”
About Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the US, Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
