Maren “Rain” Colon, left, and Ariel Davila, right
President Kate Smith and DoorDash representatives with scholarship recipients Ariel Davila and Maren “Rain” Colon
Attendees of the Tempe Local Business Workshop
Two Rio Salado College students received a boost this week to help turn their entrepreneurial ideas into future businesses.
The students were each awarded a $750 DoorDash Scholars scholarship during a business workshop, sponsored by the company for community entrepreneurs. The event, opened by Tempe Mayor Woods and co-hosted by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and Rio Salado College, was held on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Both scholarship recipients are using their Rio Salado coursework to develop Tempe-based businesses while building the skills needed to bring those ideas to life.
“We are proud to co-host the DoorDash and Tempe Chamber of Commerce entrepreneurial focused workshops. We deeply appreciate DoorDash investing in Rio Salado students and recognizing the creativity, persistence and entrepreneurial spirit they bring to their education,” Rio Salado College President Kate Smith said. “Support like this can make a meaningful difference as students work toward their educational goals and begin turning their ideas into opportunities.”
“Small business owners can’t be spending their days filling out permitting and paperwork,” said DoorDash’s Economic Opportunity Strategy Lead Maggie Polachek. “They need actual tools and the time to put them to use. Today we put both directly in the hands of Tempe entrepreneurs, from advertising credits to AI-powered tools, so they can walk out feeling confident to grow their business.”
Building a Future in Cosmetology and Business
One scholarship recipient, Ariel Davila, is a business entrepreneurship student developing Hair by Air, a self-run hair service business she hopes to operate in the Tempe area after attending cosmetology school.
Davila, who is taking classes at Rio Salado to supplement her course schedule at ASU, created the business concept to provide affordable hair services to college students while gaining experience. The scholarship is helping pay for all her Rio Salado math classes this fall.
“Being a college student, I have expenses like rent, and you know groceries and gas are really expensive,” she said. “This is helping me out a ton.”
Her long-term goal is to own and operate a professional salon.
Her educational journey started in Oregon, but she transferred to Tempe for the warmer weather and loves the community, prompting her intents to grow her business in the city.
Creating Community Over Coffee
Fellow scholarship recipient Maren “Rain” Colon is developing Copper Kettle Coffee Co., a coffee shop concept designed around creating a welcoming gathering place for the community. She was inspired by another community-minded coffee shop in the East Valley: BeanChain.
“I’ve always loved visiting coffee shops,” she said.
Colon has been a Maricopa Community Colleges student for a while, but just enrolled in Rio Salado this fall to study operational management.
“The scholarship will help me be able to get the education I need to do what I want,” she said.
Colon envisions a café serving coffee, tea, matcha, food and other beverages while also providing roasting for customers to brew coffee at home.
Sustainability is also central to the idea. Colon hopes to incorporate practices such as composting, making used coffee grounds and tea leaves available for community gardens, and finding ways to reduce disposable cup waste.
She said her Rio Salado coursework is helping Colon understand how to plan, build and eventually grow the business while remaining true to its values.
Supporting Students as They Build What's Next
For both students, entrepreneurship is about more than starting a business. Their ideas represent opportunities to apply what they are learning, develop practical experience and build toward longer-term career goals. That’s helping contribute to a better Tempe, Woods said.
“Supporting local businesses is really critical for the city,” he told the group of small business owners at the event. “They contribute so much from a cultural landscape to the city.”