Jonah Gershon
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Education
Experience
Leadership
Cornell University
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May 2024
Ithaca, New York
Major:
Hospitality/Business Administration
Minor:
Computer Science
Academic Awards:
Dean's List, Ye Hosts Honor Society
Business Administration
Organizational Behavirol and Leadership Skills
Financial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Finance
Business Writing
Persuasive Communication
Business Computing
Hospitality Quantitative Analysis
Marketing Management for Service Operations
Business and Hospitality Law
Human Resources Management
Strategic Management
Hospitality
Introduction to Hotel Operations
Introduction to Foodservice Managment
Foodservice Management, Theory, and Practice
Restaurant Management
Introduction to Wines and Vines
Hospitality Development and Planning
Hospitality Facilities Management
Principles of Hospitality Real Estate
Entrepreneurship
Communications for Entrepreneurs
Law for Entrepreneurs
Entreprenurial Management
Computer Science
Introduction to Computing Using Python
Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures
Discrete Structues
Data Structures and Functional Programming
Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Data-Driven Web Applications
Founder and CEO
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Spekld LLC
West Hartford, Connecticut
September 2022 - Present
Spekld is the first ever stick of brown butter, offering amazing brown butter flavor in an instant without the hassle
Raised $86,500 through five pitch competitions and entrepreneurship awards.
Formed an LLC, worked with a packaging designer, conducted benchwork testing in Cornell Food Labs, conducted over 200 customer discovery interviews
Organized a small pop-up at Small State Provisions and sold out of 60 sticks of butter in under three hours
Presented a 10-min pitch at Cornell’s Business Plan Competition (30 teams), placed 1st, awarded $50,000 (2024)
Presented a 10-min pitch at Cornell’s Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition (25+ teams), placed 1st, awarded $3,000 (2023)
Presented a 3-min pitch at Cornell eShip Kickoff and won the Cornell eLab Pitch Competition, awarded $1,000 (2023)
Participated in the Northeastern Dairy Innovation Competition as one of ten finalists (50+ applicants), awarded $20,000 (2023)
Presented a 10-min pitch at Cornell’s Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition (30+ teams), placed 2nd, awarded $1,500 (2022)
Presented a 3-min pitch at Cornell’s Blackstone Big Idea Pitch Competition (10+ teams), placed 2nd, awarded $1,000 (2022)
Software Engineering Intern
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WillowTree Apps
Durham, North Carolina
May 2022 - August 2022
Implemented new features and fixed bugs on the CBC Gem app across mobile and TV platforms, working 40hr/week
Developed code in Android (Kotlin/XML), collaborating with senior software engineers, project manager, and client
Created a functional gas pump order and pick up MVP web application with a six interns for Dover hackathon
Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Computing with Python
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Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
August 2021 - May 2022
Assisted 20+ students in lab sections twice per week to answer assignment and Python coding questions
Hosted office hours to offer one-one-one help with students struggling with challenging Python concepts
Head Bakery Assistant
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Small State Provisions
West Hartford, Connecticut
June 2021 - August 2021
Oversaw pastry and specialty good production (100+ pastries per day), creating original recipes each week
Managed the front counter, assisting 75+ customers daily with purchases, recommendations, and orders
Developed a menu item cost analysis Excel model to determine the food price and gross margin of products
Founder and CEO
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Pop-Up Sourdough Business
West Hartford, Connecticut
December 2020 - January 2021
Organized a four week subscription for 23 people, baking and delivering 100+ sourdough loaves and baked goods
Created a dynamic Excel spreadsheet to manage finances (tracking profit and costs) with visual charts
Culinary Summer Camp Director
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Elmwood Community Center
West Hartford, Connecticut
June 2018 - August 2019 (seasonal)
Developed lesson plans and recipes to teach students (ages 6-12) various culinary skills and techniques
Led a team of 2-3 camp counsellors to help organize culinary activities for 12-15 students for six, one week sessions
Coordinating Assistant
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Plan-it Vicki Event Planning
Avon, Connecticut
October 2018 - January 2020
Helped to coordinate and orchestrate events including Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and weddings (100+ attendees)
Set-up decor, developed vendor relationships, and adhered to strict timeline over 8-10 hour event shifts
Adapted to unforeseen challenges, adjusting schedules and resolving issues to ensure client satisfaction
Executive Vice President
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Epsilon Nut Tau - Professional Entrepreneurship Organization
Ithaca, New York
September 2021 - Present
Present at 200+ student marketing events to recruit 50+person applicant pool and organize applicant interviews
Collaborate with executive board (eight members) and run weekly general body (35+ members) meetings
Project Manager / Android Developer
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Cornell AppDev
Ithaca, New York
September 2021 - May 2023
Oversaw nine-person team of designers, developers, and marketers in creating and maintaining Eatery
Eatery, the team’s flagship app with over 10,000+ monthly users informing Cornell students about campus eateries
Develop new Android features in Java and XML, working 5+ hours weekly and collaborating with other subteams
Orchestrate, 30 minute, standup meetings twice per week and monthly one-on-ones with all nine team members
Culinary Team Director
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Crème de Cornell
Ithaca, New York
October 2020 - May 2022
Lead weekly culinary team (15 member) meetings, assisting with idea generation and original recipe generation
Headed recruitment for the culinary team in interviews and selecting applicants from a pool of 50+ applications
Pastry Function Manager
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Hotel Ezra Cornell
Ithaca, New York
October 2020 - April 2021
Actively participated in weekly meetings and assisted the pastry team in developing menu items for meal boxes
Designed four unique and original shortbread recipes and led a team of 10 volunteers to prepare over 300 cookies