Lipscomb’s own Hannah Kraebel is the second-best collegiate pitcher and the highest-ranking female pitcher in the United States according to the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization National Pitch Competition. Though impressive, her success at the competition was no surprise to those who know her. Her numerous accomplishments have established her as a prominent figure in the Lipscomb business community.
At that same conference, she was named the Female Founder of the Year, an accomplishment that will be sending her to Detroit for a week to be mentored by a Fortune 500 CEO and will give her the opportunity to compete in another pitch competition that offers a $10,000 prize.
She is also the creator of Kapped, a product designed to bring comfort to the modern woman, and holds an officer position in every club the College of Business has to offer. The determined business administration major has managed to accomplish all of this while staying on track to graduate a year early with a 4.0 GPA.
The Georgia-born, Hong Kong-reared Kraebel has always been a jack-of-all-trades, participating in both rugby and theater in high school. She says she chose to pursue entrepreneurship because it is a limitless field. Though the direct path she will take is unclear at this point, she knows one thing: she wants to be an impactful woman.
“I’m hoping that all these clubs that I have involved myself in are far better off after I graduate than before I came and that my impact is lasting,” Kraebel said.
Kraebel has proven herself to be an invaluable resource with the changes she’s implemented and decisions she’s made to expand these clubs and the College of Business as a whole. As for life after Lipscomb, she has some ideas for the workplace, emphasizing the crucial influence blind hiring could have in the fight for gender equality in the workplace.
“I’ve seen the message that gender equality has been reached in the workplace and that there’s other bigger issues we should be focusing on,” Kraebel said. “I don’t agree. I still feel women have to work twice as hard to achieve the same things.”
With Kraebel’s coming graduation, Lipscomb will have some big shoes to fill. She urges students to get involved as much as possible and remember that there are “far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.”
“The College of Business does create the space for women to be leaders,” Kraebel said. “You just have to assert yourself and occupy that space. Nothing will come to you, but it is attainable if you chase it.”
This story is the second feature in Jade Spilka’s “Women of Lipscomb” series, in light of Women’s Empowerment Week