It takes all kinds to make the world run – and Trent University offers the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this by letting students combine different topics of study in new and innovative ways. In particular, students have found success combining their interest in social activism, art, and sustainability with courses in business administration. Here’s a closer look at three Trent students who studied both Business Administration and Arts.

Katie Allen: Sustainability Consultant

>> VIDEO: Recent graduate Katie Allen shares how her joint major in Business and Environmental Studies helped her start and build her own company

Katie Allen graduated from Trent in 2009 with a joint major in Business Administration and Environmental Studies. Since then, she’s founded her own company, P3 Sustainability, where she acts as a consultant helping small businesses and municipalities develop sustainability and business continuity plans. In addition to running her business, she’s currently getting her Master’s degree in Sustainability Studies. She credits her success to the courses she took at Trent: “I’ve always been interested in sustainability, so it seemed like a great fit. And the Trent Business program is fantastic in that way. Prof. Ray Dart is the reason why I ended up taking those courses because he’s very forward-thinking in terms of business sustainability and integrating social and environmental values into business.”

Dane Shumak: Theatre Producer

Dane Shumak is a fourth-year student completing his degree in Business Administration and English. In addition to his work with the Anne Shirley Theatre Company, he’s also started his own theatre production company called Cordwainer Productions. After he graduates in 2015, he plans to continue working in theatre and hopes to get an MFA in theatre production in England. Trent has proven vital, he says, in helping him combine his business acumen with his love of the arts: “Trent University reintroduced me to parts of myself and passions that I had that I was unsure whether I’d be able to make something of… Without having come to Trent, I would have never been introduced to this kind of culture and this kind of environment. It’s the best possible product of all the circumstances to have been able to do this.”

Reba Harrison: Beauty and Fashion Innovator

>> VIDEO: Third-year student Reba Harrison was inspired to start her own fashion business through her joint program studying Women’s Studies and Business

Reba Harrison is a third-year student joint-majoring in Women’s Studies and Business Administration. She runs her own company called No Regrets Fashion, where she makes items of clothing out of recycled material and beauty products using organic ingredients. However, her decision to study at Trent came as a surprise even to her — she planned to study fashion and event planning at a different institution. But she was hooked after her first few classes: “I have learned so much about myself more than anything else,” she says. In addition to her studies she runs the Trent Fashion Show and also does event planning for OPIRG. However, her plans don’t stop there: “[After graduation] My big goal is to create a self-sustaining international NGO to help garment workers around the world, especially in impoverished communities, to empower them to build their own communities.”