Academy Student Envisions Bright Future in Business

Jonathan Ryan Boulanger breathes business.

The 21-year-old from Miramar, Fla., comes from a family built on entrepreneurship. An only child, Jonathan was introduced to the world of business by his mother, Martha, who worked in sales and now real estate, and father, Rejean, who works in the construction remodeling industry. When it comes to role models, Jonathan’s parents are first on his list.

“My mother taught me resilience and determination,” he says. “She taught me good values of being patient, giving back, and following my dreams and goals with perseverance. My father taught me to have a very strong work ethic and to ensure that our family will always be in good standing.”

When talking about his attraction to business, Jonathan hearkens back to fifth grade when he had a chance to role play as a certified public accountant. After that experience he fell in love with “reading about business, history, and writing.” In the years that followed, Jonathan was exposed to Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) while in middle school.

“Students from my future high school came to my history class and talked about DECA and how fun it was to compete and attend conferences while learning about business,” he says. “I was hooked.”

Jonathan has had a strong connection to NSU – long before college. While a student at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, he took part in speech and debate with DECA. The competitions were held at NSU’s Rick Case Arena.

“I qualified all four years of high school for the DECA States tournaments,” he says. “In 10^th grade I placed second in Retail Merchandising Test & Roleplay and was able to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, Calif.”

Through a NSU University School’s speech and debate tournament, Jonathan was able to compete in sessions held at NSU’s Carl DeSantis Building, which houses the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

“I thought it was cool that the sessions were hosted at NSU because of the comfy seats and boardroom settings,” he said.

The violin, another passion of Jonathan’s, also connected him to NSU. Having played the instrument since sixth grade, Jonathan participated in the Florida Youth Orchestra, where rehearsals were held on Monday nights at NSU University School. Jonathan also played with the quintet Aurora Strings at the Huizenga Pavilion at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts and also at NSU’s Alvin Sherman Library.

Upon graduating from high school in 2019, Jonathan made it official, coming to NSU and studying business administration. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a major in Entrepreneurship and minor in Venture Creation and Property Management. In May, he will earn his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and International Business as a member of the first cohort of the Huizenga Business and Innovation Academy.

During his time at NSU, Jonathan has immersed himself in opportunities and accolades.

Among those, he is a member of the President’s 64, an elite body of student leaders whose purpose is to strengthen the relationship between NSU and the community. The organization is comprised of 64 hand-picked undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, representing different constituencies of NSU’s diverse student population.

Jonathan created and developed the college’s Student Managed Investment Fund, the first of its kind in the state of Florida. The fund allows students to learn about how to build their own stock market portfolios while trading stocks with real money and creating investor pitches to a Board of Advisors of actual financial professionals.

“This was a legacy project that I created to leave a lasting impact at NSU, and I am excited to continue being involved with it, even past graduation,” he said.

Jonathan also is the co-founder and CEO of Fin Time Pros LLC, a company he created while part of the Innovation Academy. Fin Time Pros prepares college students for life after graduation by “teaching life skills through selling products and consulting.”

In the short-term, upon graduation Jonathan plans to continue his connection with NSU, working as a program coordinator with the Alan B. Levan l NSU Broward Center of Innovation. He’s also going to continue to grow Fin Time Pros beyond NSU to other universities. As for the long-term, Jonathan has his sights set on getting a law degree and starting a practice in business law. He plans to start two to three other companies related to solving social issues.

Jonathan attributes his altruistic pursuits to the late H. Wayne Huizenga, one of his heroes and the namesake of the NSU’s College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

“H. Wayne Huizenga was a positive influence in the South Florida community,” he says. “He left a legacy of institutions to help society, ranging from education to homelessness. Since I benefitted from them as a South Florida resident, I am inspired to follow his footsteps to do the same.”

 

Posted 04/25/23