Ideas for Change: Franke Honors heads to NYC for hackathon with Venture Studio
On February 27 & 28, students engaged in the Venture Studio at Franke Honors will be heading to New York City to participate in a hackathon in collaboration with The New School: Parsons School of Design.
Over the course of two days, Franke Honors students will work together in teams to tackle challenges related to startup ideas that they have been refining since the fall semester, and they will quickly develop creative solutions in tandem with Parsons students AI design skills.
“The focus isn’t on building something perfect — it’s on experimentation, teamwork, and producing a tangible concept that can be shared and presented at the end,” said Scott Hessell, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Officer at the W.A. Franke Honors College.
Through the Venture Studio, sisters and Franke Honors Wildcats Rebecca Ursule and Felista Nabintu are preparing to hone and present their ideas at the Franke x Parsons hackathon.
Rebecca’s Venture: Empowering Leaders
Rebecca Ursule at Tufts University School of Law and Diplomacy.
Rebecca, a senior studying Political Science with an emphasis in International Affairs and a minor in Marketing, is passionate about civic engagement and community service, and her startup idea is an extension of that—centering on empowering individuals in their communities.
“The goal is to create a platform or program that equips people to lead initiatives, organize strategically, and create sustainable change within their local environments,” she said.
This idea sprung from her academic focus in international affairs, and also her lived experience. Growing up in Uganda, Rebecca witnessed many of her peers and classmates having a passion to enact change, but lacking access to opportunities which would allow them to step into the leadership roles necessary to influence that change.
“Often people care deeply about issues in their communities, but lack the guidance, confidence, and structure to take action,” she said. “Across Africa, young people make up over half the population, but less than 15% of parliamentary representatives are under 35.”
On campus, Rebecca is putting her leadership aspirations into action. She serves as President of the University of Arizona Podcast and is also a member of the University of Arizona Undergraduate Advisory Cabinet, where she works to represent student perspectives and contribute to institutional improvement.
Franke Honors senior Rebecca Ursule (left) with her sister Felista Nabintu (right).
Felista’s Venture: Transforming Tech
Ursule’s sister, Felista Nabintu, is a first-year student studying Cybersecurity Operations, and has an interest in the way that digital systems impact human behavior and family life.
“I am driven by the belief that technology should serve people intentionally and responsibly, especially within the home,” Felista said.
Her startup idea is currently called Nexus, a digital wellbeing platform designed to reduce distraction, rebuild trust, and help children and families develop healthy technology habits. Rather than using blocking systems and fear-based tactics, Nabintu wants to build long-term trust and discipline through emotional awareness tools and shared family goals, rather than short-term restriction.
“Seeing Nexus develop from an abstract idea into something tangible has been incredibly motivating and showed me that innovation starts by committing to solving a problem thoughtfully, rather than waiting for the perfect moment,” she continued.
In preparing for the design hackathon, Felista has attended workshops hosted by Venture Studio, learning the importance of clarity, narrowing the scope of her project and defining the problem, target audience, and long-term scalability.
Next Up: New York City
While developing their ideas, the sisters have collaborated extensively—sharing feedback, challenging each other's assumptions, and refining their separate visions, together.
“One of the most valuable aspects of working with Rebecca is the level of honesty and accountability we maintain,” said Felista.
Both Felista and Rebecca are looking forward to gaining new insights through the hackathon with Parsons and applying new strategies to their ventures.
“I’m eager to better understand how to move from concept to implementation,” Rebecca shared. “And ultimately bring that knowledge back to build my ideas with greater confidence and direction.”
Venture Studio
The Venture Studio at Franke Honors is focused on developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem geared toward our highly diverse, knowledgeable and creative Franke Honors students.