Some are:
Leaving a legacy…
Being their own boss…
Changing the world…
Teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs…
Sharing their knowledge…
Creating something new…
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Profile: Vicky Mariano, Clark Student, '08
SPIRITUAL HAZE
 A
current hot topic in higher education is the problem of college
binge drinking. Although a large amount of research has been done on
this issue, Vicky Mariano, a senior at Clark, felt that not a lot of
action was actually being taken. Since the eighth grade, Mariano has
been throwing alcohol and drug free events to find out if young
people were offered fun alternatives to drinking, would they
participate in them? These early events paved the way for Mariano’s
business, Spiritual Haze, which she has recently launched through the Innovation & Entrepreneurship program’s capstone class along with three classmates, Shahzad Godil, Bilal Anwar, and Wei Che Cheng.
Spiritual Haze is a hookah lounge, cafe, and arts & entertainment
venue (both visual and performance). Space will be available for
people to host their own events, as well as private parties. Mariano
plans on having a dynamic events calendar with activities organized
by her staff and the community. These will include live music, open
mics, comedians, weekly poker tournaments and more. The staff is
comprised of almost all Clark students, and the cafe will be run and
operated by an I&E alumnus, Asher Cowan.
Mariano said she has had this business idea for a long time, but taking part in the I&E program at Clark has really helped her get it off the ground. “It’s really helped me develop my own ideas and structure them more. Working on this project is setting me up with the experiences I need to achieve my long term goals,” which are to open a similar business in her hometown. Mariano, who is following the I&E track in her Management major,
said she did face a variety of challenges along the path to
launching her business. Before opening, they hosted a few private
parties which helped her realize what she still needed to do to be
ready for the public. But now she is excited to have the doors open
and is already looking ahead to the next steps in the evolution of
her business.
Spiritual Haze is located at 482 Park Avenue in Worcester. Hours are
Sunday-Wednesday 3pm-11pm and Thursday-Saturday 3pm-2am
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