Kyle Trusch

Entrepreneurship, Class of 2022

Assistant Director of Student Experience, Quinnipiac University School of Business

Caroline K. Reff, a freelance writer and editor who teaches news and public relations writing at Syracuse University, conducted the interview.

Not quite feeling the passion he once had for his job, Kyle Trusch decided something had to change. He took a chance, which paid off in ways he never imagined.

“I didn’t quite know where my life was going, and I felt like I had lost my passion for entrepreneurship… as well as the drive to get the most out of my career.”

In 2020, Kyle Trusch worked in a corporate accounting organization in Connecticut —a field very different from his original field of study, entrepreneurship. Feeling restless, stressed, and uncertain about his career and future, Trusch took a step back and reevaluated his options.

A simple “passion” prompt made him change direction. Completing the sentence, “When my life is ideal, I am ________,” became the impetus for Trusch to arrive at his ideal happy place: helping others understand how they can use their passions to create businesses.

“Looking back on my experiences in Whitman’s program, I can confidently say that my passion for entrepreneurship has been reignited, and I’m very excited to see where it takes me.” 

At 24, Trusch was one of the youngest in his online program cohort, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream. Instead, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to work with a diverse group of people, some of whom had decades more experience in their fields. 

The highlight of completing his online degree was attending his graduation ceremony on campus and getting the chance to do the official commencement speech.

“Being selected as the commencement speaker was a little bit of a step outside my comfort zone, but opportunities like this don’t come around that often.” 

Pursuing his M.S. online worked out well for Trusch. However, attending the graduation ceremony and meeting his professors and classmates in person was an unforgettable experience. 

Standing up in front of 1,000 classmates and their loved ones became one of Trusch’s proudest moments and the perfect culmination of his time at the Whitman School of Management.

“Because of my master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the Whitman School, I was given the opportunity to start teaching in the fall of 2021—much earlier than I thought.” 

After several semesters of leading an introductory business course at the Business School of his undergraduate alma mater, Quinnipiac University, Trusch knew he’d done the right thing. He pursued a question that gave him a clear answer: he’s incredibly passionate about teaching and entrepreneurship.

With this renewed confidence as an adjunct professor, a master’s degree in hand, and a newly energized perspective on his career, Trusch invested himself in his passion. Today, he holds a new position as Assistant Director of Student Experience at Quinnipiac University School of Business. 

Undeniably, the future looks bright.