914INC. Honors Staff Member With Annual Wunderkinds Recognition
Jarlyne Batista, coordinator of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, was one of several members of the Iona Community honored with its annual with Wunderkinds recognition by 914INC. magazine.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Highlighted by the selection of Jarlyne Batista, coordinator of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 914INC. magazine honored several members of the Iona College Community with its annual Wunderkinds recognition. The award spotlights local Westchester professionals under the age of 30 who have reached a remarkable level of achievements and success in their chosen fields. This year’s Wunderkinds were honored in May at Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club and featured in the cover story of the just released Summer 2019 issue of 914INC.
Batista's recognition is rooted in her experiences and accomplishments in the larger entrepreneurship ecosystem, ranging from higher education to startup companies. She is a founding team member of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, where she serves as the creative force leading marketing and outreach efforts while also building a community of student entrepreneurs on campus . Batista works closely with the students at Iona, serving as the liaison between the Hynes Institute and its student club, and is empowering students through her 3D-printing and visual design workshops.
In addition to her major contribution to the Hynes Institute, she is also pursuing an MBA and Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Iona’s LaPenta School of Business. Her engagement at the Hynes Institute also has a national reach. In Fall 2018, she moderated a panel, "Getting the Word Out" at the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Global Pitch Conference & Competition 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Prior to joining Iona in fall 2017, Batista has worked with several entrepreneurial service organizations such as the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the Zahn Innovation Center, and the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, where she served as a graphic communications consultant for their student venture programs. Her creative work has been featured in ads, such as Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lastly, Batista is also an artist, entrepreneur, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Project Beauty Experience, Inc., which is a leadership development organization focused on facilitating increased self-knowledge and improved self-perceptions of young ladies in NYC through innovative fashion and civic engagement programming.
Batista was joined this year by Nuria McGrath '15 and Christine L. Soifer '17MBA as Iona honorees at the event.
Iona College graduates, faculty and staff have a long history of being recognized by 914INC. Jay G. Wegimont '13, a member of Iona College's Alumni board of Trustees, was a 2018 selection and Christina Nassayan Pesco '16MA, director of Alumni & Special Events at Iona and Richard Giacovas '13 were honored in 2017. In 2013, Robert Kissner, a guest lecturer in the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation was also a part of the list.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.