TCNJ

10 The College of New Jersey Magazine Accounting major and president of TCNJ's entrepreneurship club Jake Calviello '25 is always on the prowl for new business ideas. He's dabbled in stuffed animals, lasers, phone wallets, and shoes. But it was during a trip to New York City in 2022, while wandering through a Rolex store and admiring the bands and moving hands, that Calviello hit on his biggest venture yet. He launched ChronoVista Watches soon after, and has since sold more than 150 watches, both online and in jewelry stores. He's netted about $50,000. Calviello works directly with manu- facturers in China and Switzerland to produce his watches. He creates designs using computer animation programs, sends blueprints overseas, and then the manufacturers send back finished products. His watches are all made with high-quality metal casings and gears from Switzerland, stainless steel bands, and scratch-free sapphire crystal glass. Today, ChronoVista Watches has a sales team of eight people and is working on contracts with Seton Hall Law School and other universities to design special watches with a logo on the face, case back, and buckle. Calviello hopes to foster more collabo- rations like this, particularly with the business fraternities at TCNJ and beyond. Calviello is open to other businesses in the future, but he doesn't foresee an end to ChronoVista. "I want to con- tinue this. I really like watches now." — Corinne Coakley '25 Watch out! There's no stopping Jake Calviello and his entrepreneurial spirit. About 800,000 people applied for asylum in the United States in 2023, seeking protection from persecution in their home countries. Just 54,000 applications were granted. It's a trying process, and Spanish major Kelly Macias '25 helps immigrants navigate through it. As an interpreter at the volunteer- run nonprofit Solidaridad, Macias guides asylum seekers in crafting the narrative they present to an immigra- tion judge or asylum officer — in their own language and their own words. Alongside an interviewer and note- taker, she listens to stories of heartbreak, trauma, and hope, and gives a voice to those who might other- wise struggle to state their case. "Seeing that they trust me with their concerns and their needs, I feel a sense of pride," Macias says. "I try to be there for them, because I know what it feels like to be unsure in this country." Macias, who came to TCNJ to study kinesiology before finding comfort and purpose in Spanish classes, is the Speaking truths Student helps immigrants apply for asylum. Jake Calviello '25 takes pride in the quality of the watches he designs.

• Cover