Simren Shah

Associate Features Editor

Madison Trilling, a Millersville University student is currently working on a project
called Ville Crafts for her I-Tech 492 class. The whole class has come together as a
group to work on this project. Ville Crafts is a company created by the students in the
Tech class. While Trilling did not come up with the company name herself, the name
was voted on after another student suggested it. Trilling says the project is “very
democratic.” The class has manufactured a product called a “Desk Buddy” (pictured).
For their project, the students have to create a business plan, pitch the idea, create the
product, and sell it. Trilling relays that her class is in the process of selling the Desk
Buddies. So, what is a Desk Buddy?

According to Trilling, a desk buddy is “a structure you can put on your desk. It
can hold your pens, your pencils. It has little white boards on the sides that are cut in
the shape of a little silhouette. You can write on it if you need, you can also use it to
hold your phone, use it to hold your business cards…” The I-Tech 492 class will be
open for other students to take next semester.

I-Tech 492 is the capstone for the Applied Engineering program. Trilling states
that there are some prerequisites to be and it is a hands-on class. The first few weeks
are lecture based, but then students get to start creating their company. For this specific
project, everyone has a management role and the second part of the semester is
student-driven. The class provides students with the opportunity to learn how a
company works and how to fill a management position. The students even apply for
their positions and sell stocks to classmates, which creates a real-life environment. The
professor is “there to make sure things go smoothly,” but the students have most of the
say in the project. Ville Crafts has its own Facebook and Instagram page. Even though
it is a school project, Ville Crafts operates just like a real company.