Lauren Roche is the founder of The Naked Truth with Lauren LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based wellness platform dedicated to helping women in their 20s deal with loneliness and form meaningful connections. Through workshops, structured conversations, coaching and her podcast The Naked Truth with Lauren, Roche has created a community focused on authenticity and emotional wellness.

Roche founded her company as a response to her own experiences with mental health, and has now grown the platform to a membership of 8,000+ users across different social media channels. Roche credits much of her entrepreneurial foundation to her time at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, where she was a member of the Strategic Design and Innovation Fellows Program and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. She speaks highly of the experiences gained during her time at the University of Maryland and continues to center her company on principles taught to her during her time there: the power of community, the importance of discovery and the gift of feedback.

Roche’s words to aspiring enTERPreneurs: “Launching a business is not an easy task. Take some time to really think about whether this career path is for you and the ‘why’ behind your work. You need a strong ‘why’ to build a successful business.”

Limaya Atembina is a full-time real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty. A graduate of the School of Public Health and a proud DMV-native, Atembina has dedicated her work to helping families and individuals navigate the Maryland real estate market while also supporting them in their life goals.

Atembina officially stepped into the real estate industry full-time last year. Since then, she's prioritized creating meaningful and genuine connections with her clients. She believes that this and her commitment to helping people achieve their own dreams has been the biggest driver of growth in her business.

Atembina speaks fondly of the University of Maryland community for helping her build the confidence to pursue a major career shift and fully embrace her “authentic self”. Through alum events and networking, she received encouragement to pursue her goals from fellow Terps and that’s made all the difference.

Atembina tells aspiring enTERPreneurs: “Honor your authentic self and be fearless in pursuing that authenticity in your business.”