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Priya Samant

Class of 2010,
Priya Samant
"I’m applying the values, skills and leadership I learned at the College to underprivileged people so they can become independent, have leadership qualities and succeed in their lives. All in all, Cambridge College was the backbone of my formation as a business woman and entrepreneur."

Pregnant and on bed rest with her second child, Priya Samant made a radically life-altering decision. Then 31 and a student in Cambridge College’s Master of Management program, Samant decided to abandon the corporate world and launch her own company. Samant credits her jump into entrepreneurship to Sharon Wulf, senior instructor in entrepreneurship in the management program. "She told me I can do much better than the corporate world. She helped me realize I had much more talent and leadership qualities than I thought I had. That was a big achievement for me,” notes Samant.

So began EarthFrendz, a company based in India that takes scrap fabric and other second-hand materials and transforms them into colorful totes, wallets, and eco-jewelry geared to Western consumers. Samant designs the products and impoverished artisans in New Delhi and Mumbai create them. Samant sees her company as a partnership. “I’m applying the values, skills and leadership I learned at the College to underprivileged people so they can become independent, have leadership qualities and succeed in their lives,” explains Samant. “All in all, Cambridge College was the backbone of my formation as a business woman and entrepreneur.”

Priya Samant
CEO and Founder of EarthFrendz