KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 17, 2025

For Kennesaw State University senior Toni-Ann McKenzie, entrepreneurship is more than products and profits, it’s about making an impact. A double major in Entrepreneurship and Management in the Michael J. Coles College of Business, Mckenzie will graduate with her bachelor’s degree this week.

“As an entrepreneur, I want to be able to create a significant enough change where it will impact people, that’s the ultimate goal,” McKenzie said.

And at KSU, she has already begun to achieve that goal. Having been a peer mentor for students with special needs while she was in high school, McKenzie understood firsthand the barriers and challenges that can occur during learning. After joining the KSU Chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO), she met fellow student Javanese Williams and together they co-founded Totally Tutoring, a company to support students with autism through specialized virtual tutoring and the use of emojis.

“We did some research and found that the exaggerated expressions that emojis have can help students with autism learn better,” McKenzie explained. “The overemphasis makes the emotion that's being displayed much clearer and reduces the ambiguity of having to pick up on social cues.”

The team designed a videoconferencing platform that allowed parents to upload their child’s homework to the tutor, while facial-recognition software mirrored the tutor’s emotions in real time using expressive emojis during the session.

McKenzie and Williams took their idea to Texas Christian University’s Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Pitch Competition, one of the nation’s largest international undergraduate business pitch events attracting entrepreneurs from all over the world. They advanced to the top 40 semifinalists.

They also pitched their idea to the  Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center at KSU and received two grants of $2,500 and $10,000 from The Mookerji Innovation Fund to support the project.

“We realized how many families needed something like this,” McKenzie said. “The feedback, the research, the training, all of it showed us the impact we could make. A lot of parents were like, ‘this would be amazing,’ especially because some of them homeschool, and since COVID, a lot more tutoring sessions are being done online, and personal interaction was limited.”

Although the company is currently paused, McKenzie continues working with mentors to explore a new, independent path for the concept.

At KSU, she first became vice president and later president of the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization and also served as president of the Coles Ambassadors for Student Success and represented the college at high-profile engagement opportunities including the Undergraduate Business Leadership Conference at Emory University. She also served as a panelist at the Georgia Organization for Student Success, the state chapter of the National Organization for Student Success (NOSS).

“KSU has so many resources. If you ask, if you show up, people genuinely want to help you succeed,” she said.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she moved to the U.S. in 2019 and found herself navigating an entirely new world academically, socially, and culturally. Now, she is leaving KSU as an entrepreneur and leader and will be the first in her immediate family to earn a bachelor’s degree.

McKenzie’s mentor, Dennis Loubiere, a part-time management instructor and program manager at the Michael A. Leven School of Management, Entrepreneurship and Hospitality, commended McKenzie for her discipline and determination.

“Toni-Ann is a bright and ambitious student, and mentoring her has been a privilege,” Loubiere said. Her leadership, compassion, and drive to make a meaningful impact are evident in everything she does. I have no doubt she will continue to excel and inspire others wherever her career takes her.”

She is currently interning with Educators Now, a substitute staffing company and is interviewing for consulting roles, which is her primary career goal after graduation. She eventually wants to launch her own company or hold a C-suite position where she can advocate for meaningful change.

“To be an Owl means to persevere,” McKenzie said. “It means striving for excellence, standing out, finding balance, gaining wisdom, and using what you’ve learned to make a difference.”

– Story by Christin Senior

Photos by Katherine Seghers

 

 

 

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.