DifferenceMaker Winners Jeurys Santiago ’23 and Nuno Mestre ’24 Named Rising Innovators
Image by Meg Moore
10/07/2024
By Ed Brennen
Two recent UMass Lowell graduates — both of whom were part of winning Rist DifferenceMaker Institute projects — have been named to the Boston Business Journal’s annual BostInno 25 Under 25 list.
Business alum Jeurys Santiago ’23 and computer science alum Nuno Mestre ’24 were named to the list, which spotlights rising innovators age 25 and younger in the Greater Boston area who are “making big moves.”
Santiago is the founder of Minds With Purpose, a marketing and networking agency dedicated to fostering growth, collaboration and impact, particularly within the multicultural communities of Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he lives.
Santiago won the $4,000 Significant Social Impact award for Minds With Purpose at DifferenceMaker’s 2022 Idea Challenge. He says making the BostInno list was both “humbling and surprising.”
“This recognition is a testament to the journey I’ve undertaken over the past five years with Minds with Purpose,” says Santiago, who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City. “It highlights the power of community, resilience and the incredible support I have received along the way.”
Santiago currently leads workshops four days a week at UTEC (United Teen Equality Center) in Lowell. He designed the curriculum, which covers emotional intelligence, digital and financial literacy, creativity and youth empowerment.
“It’s amazing to see the impact that it has on these young adults,” he says.
Image by Ed Brennen
“I want Minds With Purpose to become a household name statewide,” Santiago says.
Meanwhile, Mestre was recognized for his role in creating Rent Scoop, a website designed to make the process of renting an apartment more transparent by providing access to community-driven data on current and past prices.
“I was super-excited to hear that I made the list,” says Mestre, who is currently pursuing a graduate degree in computer science at UML through the Bachelor’s-to-Master’s program. “I read about some of the other people who are on it, and it’s impressive to see what people under the age of 25 are capable of doing. It’s motivation to keep working hard.”
Mestre created Rent Scoop with fellow computer science alum Anthony Terravecchia ’24. They won the $4,000 Sutherland Innovative Technology Solution award at DifferenceMaker’s 2023 Idea Challenge.
“DifferenceMakers was such a great learning experience,” says Mestre, who is from Milford, Massachusetts. “I had some web development skills going in, but working on the website and building it out has really helped me as I start my career.”
Image by Ed Brennen
Mestre got the internship, and he was recently extended a full-time job offer as an associate software engineer at MITRE after he finishes his master’s degree this spring.
“I worked really hard during my internship, hoping to get a return offer, and it worked out,” says Mestre, who is working 20 hours a week at the company while in grad school. “I’m so happy.”
As for Rent Scoop, the website has been “sidelined” for now, Mestre says. But he and Terravecchia, who is an associate software engineer at MKS Instruments, would like to pick it up again in the future.
“I feel like we had a good grasp on the technology, but we need a better understanding of the whole real estate market,” Mestre says.
Neither Mestre nor Santiago know who nominated them for the 25 Under 25 list, but they are both grateful for the recognition.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Santiago says.