PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Sept. 21, 2026) – For a student studying engineering, education, health care or another field, entrepreneurship can be more than building a business. It can mean recognizing an opportunity, solving a problem and finding a new way forward.
That idea is at the heart of a new initiative from Prairie View A&M University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), which has been awarded a $25,000 Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Grant through the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship.
The grant will support programming that expands experiential learning opportunities for students across all academic disciplines, helping them develop the mindset, skills and resources to identify opportunities, solve problems and transform ideas into realities.
By focusing beyond venture creation, the initiative is designed to show students that entrepreneurship is a way of thinking that can be applied, regardless of individual career paths.
Philip Bouchard
“At the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, we define entrepreneurship as a disciplined process and a shared language for identifying opportunities, solving problems, and creating value in any field,” said CIE Director Philip Bouchard. “Whether our students become entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers, educators, healthcare professionals, or corporate leaders, entrepreneurial thinking equips them to create meaningful impact wherever their careers take them.”
The initiative will support programming that bridges classroom learning with real-world application by exposing students to entrepreneurship through workshops, mentorship, networking experiences, business coaching, competitions, and collaborations with founders and industry professionals.
The Center also plans to strengthen connections between students and Prairie View alumni entrepreneurs, creating additional pathways for mentorship, career exploration, and professional development.
For Brandy Walker, assistant director at CIE, the award represents another opportunity to invest in the success of the University that influenced her own entrepreneurial journey.
Brandy Walker
“As a two-time Prairie View A&M University graduate, returning to my alma mater after spending more than a decade building businesses has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Walker said. “Entrepreneurship changed the way I approached opportunities and problem-solving, and now I have the privilege of helping students discover those same possibilities regardless of their major or career aspirations.”
Through the initiative, CIE aims to give students opportunities to build practical skills, make professional connections and explore possibilities beyond their traditional academic and career paths.
“Our goal is to expose students to opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves,” Walker said. “We want every student who engages with the Center to leave with more than knowledge. We want them to graduate with confidence, professional networks, practical experiences, and the entrepreneurial mindset to identify opportunities and solve problems wherever life takes them.”
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