Tobin Students Use Marketing Skills to Help Build a School in Guatemala

Students in The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University are putting their business education to work to expand access to schooling for children in rural Guatemala. During the Fall 2025 semester, students enrolled in Dr. Timothy Keiningham’s Service Marketing course raised $5,200 for buildOn, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that has constructed more than 2,500 schools in developing countries. The funds raised by the class will support the construction of a new school in Guatemala.

Guatemala faces some of the highest illiteracy rates in Central America. According to the Guatemala Literacy Project, only four out of every ten children are expected to reach middle school, and just two will complete high school. Limited access to education restricts opportunities for higher-paying jobs and reinforces cycles of poverty that can persist for generations.

“It is easy for our generation to take our access to education for granted since most of us don’t know any different,” said Sydney Dufour, a senior marketing major. “Bringing this to our donors’ attention and explaining how they could contribute to making a difference for young kids who never got the opportunities we got was a true motivator for a lot of people.”

The initiative was carried out through a long-standing partnership with the University’s Community Engaged Learning Office. Dr. Keiningham, the 2022 recipient of the Faculty Convocation Award for his work with CEL, has partnered his undergraduate classes with buildOn for six years. During that time, he and his students have contributed to school-building efforts in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mali. The course challenges students to apply fundraising strategies learned in the classroom to real-world projects, strengthening both their professional skills and their sense of social responsibility.

This semester’s fundraising efforts combined creativity, persistence, and personal connection. Students organized bake sales and raffles, reached out to family and friends, and conducted in-person outreach across campus. Many found that the most effective strategies were those that allowed them to engage directly with potential donors and clearly communicate buildOn’s mission.

One student took a particularly entrepreneurial approach by hosting a jewelry fundraiser at a local coffee shop.

Angelina Orkwis, a senior marketing major and psychology minor, partnered with Swarovski’s Touchstone Crystal to host a fundraiser on November 14. Using the coffee shop where she works as the venue and inviting regular customers with whom she had built strong relationships, Angelina generated more than $2,000 in sales, with 25 percent of proceeds donated to buildOn. The event featured charcuterie boards, pastries, and discounted specialty coffee drinks, creating a welcoming and energetic atmosphere.

“The biggest lesson I learned is to never underestimate the power of community,” Angelina reflected. “Truly caring for and showing up for others can go a long way.”

For many students, the project reinforced the importance of determination and face-to-face interaction in successful fundraising. Isabella Marino, a senior marketing major, quickly realized that online outreach alone would not be enough to meet her team’s goal.

“This project taught me how meaningful community-based fundraising can be when you combine creativity, teamwork, and persistence,” Isabella said. “One of the biggest lessons we learned was that personal outreach and in-person engagement made a much stronger impact than social media alone.”

Isabella and her team created themed raffle baskets and promoted them across campus, generating enthusiasm and strong participation. Their bake sale provided another opportunity to connect directly with the St. John’s community.

“The bake sale was a rewarding experience because it allowed us to interact directly with students and faculty, explain buildOn’s mission, and see people support the cause in real time,” Isabella added. “Many of the children supported by buildOn don’t have access to the same privileges or educational opportunities that we often take for granted.”

Through the Service Marketing course, students saw firsthand how classroom concepts could be applied to create meaningful impact beyond campus. By exceeding their fundraising goal, they also deepened their understanding of global educational inequities and the role business can play in addressing them.

By combining strategy, creativity, and community engagement, Tobin students demonstrated that marketing skills can be powerful tools for social good. Their partnership with buildOn will help ensure that more children in Guatemala gain access to safe classrooms—and the life-changing opportunities that education provides.