Brad Hurvitz wasn’t taught the word “failure”—literally. Growing up, his mother took a Sharpie pen and crossed it out in every household dictionary. Maybe that’s why Hurvitz, an MBA candidate with the College of Business, has been able to turn setbacks into opportunity.

“Of course, we’ve all failed,” he said. “But the idea is to be able to bounce back and not think of it as a terminal failure.” After engaging in several professional “learning opportunities,” he recently launched an entrepreneurial venture called Trek to Teach, which sends teachers to Nepal.

As a young professional, Hurvitz has already dabbled in enterprises that would make most self-starters envious. While studying psychology at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, he started a brewing club on campus and grew membership from zero to 90 in a couple of months. After college, he found success in sales and lending at Accredited Home Lenders. Unfortunately, when the banking industry collapsed in 2007, Hurvitz woke up one morning and read a headline stating that Accredited would lay off 1,600 employees. He was one of them. 

Soon after leaving Accredited, Hurvitz and his brother started a trading business. They served as middlemen between Chinese manufacturers and Western companies in need of specialty molded parts or products. But that business went under as the value of the U.S. dollar declined and companies cinched their belts. He moved on to do marketing for Shindy Media before that company also went under.

Undeterred, Hurvitz took some time off in 2009 to teach in India, a decision that would change his life and provide an opportunity like no other. For five months, he worked as an instructor at the Sagar School in Rajasthan, where he taught English, directed a play, coached soccer, marketed the school, taught students how to swim, and trained several to run the Delhi half marathon.

“The experience I had while teaching was amazing and life-changing,” he recalled. “I had done a lot of traveling before. But in a way, traveling is selfish, even though it can be good for the local economy. This time, I wanted to do something for somebody else.”

Hurvitz became inspired to start his newest venture while trekking through Nepal during his time off. He encountered students walking in hilly country—often wearing sandals—on their two-hour trip to and from school. As he learned more about the Nepali education system, he discovered that there were no teaching programs for foreign educators. Inspiration hit. Hurvitz saw an opportunity to help students gain access to education and expand their vision beyond the confines of their village. “I knew from that moment that I was going to go home and build a business that sends foreign teachers to schools in the Himalayas to help Nepali students.” He would call the venture Trek to Teach.

Trek to Teach helps Nepali students gain vital language, math, and computer skills to improve their opportunities and sense of possibility. Currently, anyone can participate in the program. Trek to Teach accepts educators throughout the year, except in winter. Educators with specialties in art, science, or another field are encouraged to participate and share their knowledge with the students. Hurvitz calls the program a one-of-a-kind experience, since participants get the personal benefits of teaching while exploring the rich culture and beauty of Nepal.

While getting the enterprise off the ground, Hurvitz is finishing up an MBA degree with the College of Business. He said the program’s emphasis on entrepreneurship has helped him manage his latest venture. “Through the College of Business, I have learned the right time to start a business, the necessary amount of working capital, and how to obtain money through venture financing. I’ve been able to refine my presentation skills and my pitch. And now I know the hard work and lifestyle needed to create my own business.”

Hurvitz may have experienced a few setbacks in his career, but none of them have been “terminal failures.” His tenacity and drive have allowed him to start Trek to Teach and develop his passion for international education.

“I’ve experienced both ends of the business spectrum,” he said. “I felt the end where my goal is to make money, and I did that. In a way, it felt good, but it was just an ephemeral satisfaction of greed. And then, I felt the other side where my goal is to make people happy and make them better at what they strive to do. That’s the payback I want for the rest of my life. That feeling is ten times better than the feeling of greed, because it is everlasting.”

For more information about Trek to Teach, visit http://trektoteach.org.