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Lindsey Wilson University Business Graduate Students Shine at Inaugural Student Showcase

Winning project proposes a mobile relief unit for rural Appalachia.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (12/16/2025) — The breadth and depth of student work in the Lindsey Wilson University School of Graduate Business & Technology were on display on Saturday, Dec. 13, in the school's inaugural Student Showcase.

More than a dozen graduate students showed off seven projects that proposed to do everything from develop well-rounded athletes to create an outreach program for Appalachia's disadvantaged residents.

Although the event -- which was held in the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center between the university's two winter commencement ceremonies -- was billed as a showcase of student research, the demonstrations often took on the tone and enthusiasm of a pitch to potential investors.

"This is but a small sample of the kind of innovation and energy that's common in our program," said School of Graduate Business & Technology Dean Helen MacLennan. "Our students have come up with some interesting ideas that creatively address a host of issues and societal needs."

The winning project came from Shawna Kidd of Morehead, Kentucky, and Barbara Mendez of Liberty, Kentucky.

The two master of business administration students pitched Moving Forward With Hope, which proposes turning a large motorcoach bus into a mobile shower, a self-service laundry and internet access station.

The retrofitted bus, which might also distribute food, would be made available to underserved residents of Bath, Boyd, Carter, Montgomery and Rowan counties. To help run the volunteer-driven services, Moving Forward With Hope hopes to partner with area churches, who would provide the water supply.

Kidd said she came up with the idea during her counseling work in that region.

"There are so many things people struggle with," said Kidd. "There are people struggling not just with homelessness but with everything that entails, and many of them lack access to water."

Kidd and Mendez have already registered their idea as a nonprofit organization with the state so that they can pursue funding to turn their idea into a reality.

"This is compassion-based and it serves people, and that's what I love to do," said Mendez.

Second place went to MBA students Ashley Meadows Miller of Shelbyville, Kentucky, and Jay Muvumba of Atlanta for their marketing plan to create a mobile application for player and leadership development. Third place was a tie between technology management graduate students Aishwarya Aakash of Richmond, Virginia, and Siddhartha Maduri of Lexington, Kentucky.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

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Lindsey Wilson University business graduate student Barbara Mendez of Liberty, Kentucky, left, explains the award-winning project, Moving Forward With Hope Inc., that she and fellow graduate student Shawna Kidd of Morehead, Kentucky, presented at the inaugural School of Graduate Business & Technology Student Showcase, held Saturday, Dec. 13, in Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

Lindsey Wilson University business graduate student Ashley Meadows Miller of Shelbyville, Kentucky, right, discusses her project with LWU Director of Institutional Research and Assessment Lisa Holtzclaw. Miller’s project with Jay Muvumba of Atlanta took second place at the inaugural School of Graduate Business & Technology Student Showcase, held Saturday, Dec. 13, in Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

Third place at the inaugural Lindsey Wilson University School of Graduate Business & Technology Student Showcase was a tie between technology management graduate students Siddhartha Maduri of Lexington, Kentucky, second from left, and Aishwarya Aakash of Richmond, Virginia, third from left. Presenting the award are School of Graduate Business & Technology Dean Helen MacLennan and President William T. Luckey Jr. The event was held Saturday, Dec. 13, in Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

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