Founder and CEO, Foster The Bear

B.S., Marketing, 2024

What role do you play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

I founded Foster The Bear, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 2025 to help children and youth in foster care through educational scholarships and comforting blue bears. I've been growing the organization for a little under a year, with my hand in everything from setting the operational foundation and partnerships to directly supporting young people through our scholarship program. Fun fact: I came up with the idea while I was a Spiro intern.

What are some of your best memories of your time at Clemson?

My roommates and I hosted an annual Halloween party called Rocktober. The only way in was to bring a rock, wear a costume, or let us cut your hair. Every year I guest appeared as Pitbull and “performed.” Some of my best memories of college were made with those people and at that party.

What were the key inflection points in your career after you left Clemson?

• In 2024, Carter McElveen, a teacher at Clemson, helped me land an interview with Michelin's sales department, where I interned for a summer before getting my first job with a foster care agency doing foster parent recruitment.

• Through my network, I caught on early with a startup called Child Welfare Wonk, where I now work as Director of Operations and Growth, building out and overseeing all things operations and sales.

• In my short time in child welfare, I saw both the real need and the lack of innovative solutions for galvanizing people and raising awareness for children and youth. That ultimately led me to create Foster The Bear, through which I've learned an incredible amount about starting and building a nonprofit.

What are your personal and professional dreams?

Personally,  I want to leave a legacy: changing the lives of the younger generation. I'm grateful to those who helped me get where I am and feel responsible to do the same for others.

Professionally, through my nonprofit, we recently awarded our first scholarship to a student pursuing their undergraduate degree. It's incredible to have real impact to point to, but the dream is to keep reaching the furthest-out youth and help them reach their aspirations for the future.

What would you recommend students do to maximize their remaining time at Clemson?

Network. Start a business while the risk is low. Connect deeply with your friends, classmates, and teachers. Learn as much as you can from everyone. Be curious. It will lead you down more paths than anything else.

What else should we know about you?

I met my amazing wife, Sidney Abdallah, on a study abroad trip to South Korea while at Clemson. We love telling people we met in Korea!