Emily Dittman

Entrepreneurship

When Emily Dittman is not pursuing her entrepreneurship degree at Delaware Tech, she is a hairstylist with her own salon suite called To The Pointe in Dover, Delaware. As a hairstylist, Dittman chose her major with help from her advisor in order to gain more insight on how to achieve her dream of owning a hair salon one day.

"I told him about my plan to open a salon of my own one day as well as the opportunity I had been offered to own a salon suite," Dittman said. "He told me about the program and the rest is history."

Although her career does not require a college degree, Dittman wanted to further her education to prove that she can do anything she puts her mind to. She has found along the way just how helpful her entrepreneurship courses have been in understanding the fundamentals that she will need to one day open her own hair salon.

As a SEED Scholarship recipient, Delaware Tech was the best financial choice for Dittman.

"Receiving this scholarship provides me with an education without the crippling debt that most college students experience," she said. "It has lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders knowing that I don't have student debt while still figuring out my business."

Dittman has faced struggles when it comes to juggling her salon suite business with her course load, but her support group helped her through. "I started my salon suite in January 2022 when I was only in my second semester of college and still trying to get the hang of everything. In the beginning, I definitely bit off more than I could chew, but having the support of family, friends, and even my instructors has been very helpful."

Since beginning her studies at Delaware Tech, Dittman has already seen improvements in her time management and scheduling skills that were lacking prior to attending the College. "I would say Delaware Tech pressured me into fixing my bad habits in order to become a better student and a more successful version of myself," she said.

Her advice for other students attending Delaware Tech is to not be afraid to reach out to their instructors for help, because no question is a stupid question. Additionally, Dittman recommends joining a club to form connections and meet new people.

Following graduation, Dittman plans to continue to grow her salon suite business with the end goal of owning her own salon in Delaware. She would also love the opportunity to teach masterclasses to students and hairstylists who are wanting to learn and develop their skills.