Unique Alston has embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of innovation since stepping onto the USF campus in St. Petersburg. Alston has scored notable pitch competition successes by winning the Frank and Ellen Daveler Pitch Competition and the NACCE STEM Shift Innovation Summit event.
These triumphs underscore her commitment to driving innovation and fostering entrepreneurial excellence. And that determination has spilled over into positive ventures in the community.
Last fall, she and her twin sister organized a “How to Start Your Own Business” panel featuring college student entrepreneurs. The event, which she helped conceptualize, develop and execute, drew a substantial and diverse crowd. Recently, she helped USF secure a presence within the Grand Prix for the first time in the racing event’s history.
The business analytics and information systems major is co-founder of the Youth for Youth Global Initiative, the vice president of Mainframe and serves on the Nault Center for Entrepreneurship Student Board.
Outside of innovation competitions, she interned at the Maxey-Fisher Law Firm and at iSOCRATES, LLC — two companies where she used her business analytical and operations management skills.
She’s also working on a start-up, co-founded by two other members, called SmartScale Analytics. The product is a sensor that continuously monitors weight. The start-up has placed in two competitions — No. 1 in the Daveler Pitch Competition and No. 2 in the TIE Tampa Bay Pitch Competition.
Projected to graduate in 2025, Alston has another year of pitch competitions, advocating for the underrepresented, and finding that next great idea.
25 Under 25 Program 