How a 22-Year-Old UGA Graduate Built a Mentorship App and Landed 4 Job Offers with One Strategic Move
Mishelle Orrego is rewriting the playbook for Gen Z entrepreneurship—and her story will inspire anyone looking to stand out in today’s competitive job market.
At just 22 years old, Mishelle Orrego has already accomplished what most people take decades to achieve. As the youngest guest ever featured on North Georgia Business Radio, this recent University of Georgia graduate with a degree in computer science and artificial intelligence is proving that strategic thinking and relentless execution trump traditional career paths every single time.
From High School Founder to Google Scholar
Mishelle didn’t wait for graduation to start making her mark. During her junior year of high school, she founded Synchronize, an innovative app that pairs K-12 students with college mentors from their exact geographic area and target schools. Think of it as “Uber for college mentorship”—connecting students who lack guidance with mentors who’ve already walked the path they want to follow.
“A lot of K through 12 students want to go to college, but they don’t have that older brother or sister guidance,” Mishelle explained during her interview with host Phil Bonelli. Her solution? A geographically-based platform that matches students with mentors who attended their same high school and now attend their dream college.
The Strategy That Changed Everything
While balancing her startup with her UGA computer science studies, Mishelle made a decision that would set her apart from every other CS graduate: she skipped the computer science job fair entirely.
Instead, she attended a finance-exclusive job fair in Florida—paid for by Google after she became the first and only person in the Southeast to receive two Google scholarships in 2023. The result? Four job offers, simply because she was the only computer science major in a sea of finance candidates.
“It’s all about positioning,” Mishelle shared. “Everyone there is finance, business, economics—I’m computer science, so it makes it very easy for me to stand out.”
YouTube Star Since Age 14
Before she was building AI applications, Mishelle was building an audience. Since age 14, she’s been creating content on YouTube and TikTok, amassing hundreds of thousands of views monthly. From funny skits to automotive content, she’s mastered the art of digital storytelling—skills that translate directly to entrepreneurship.
But here’s what makes Mishelle different: she never attended a single UGA football game, even during the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship runs.
“If you want to be like everyone else, then do what everyone else is doing,” she said. “But if you want to set yourself apart, especially to run your own business, you have to have a lot of accountability in yourself.”
The Next Chapter: Giving Back
Mishelle’s next big goal? Starting a scholarship foundation for low-income and first-generation students who don’t see education as an accessible option. As someone who taught herself Python through YouTube videos, she understands that opportunity doesn’t always come knocking—sometimes you have to build your own door.
“You have to open your own doors,” Mishelle emphasized. “No one is going to create opportunity for you. If you want something, you have to chase it with everything you’ve got.”
Connect with Mishelle
https://synchronizetutoring.com/
Connect with Phil Bonelli:
https://www.facebook.com/Hopewell-Farms-GA-105614501707618/
https://www.instagram.com/hopewellfarmsga/
https://www.hopewellfarmsga.com/
Connect with Beau Henderson:
https://www.facebook.com/RichLifeAdvisors
https://www.facebook.com/NorthGARadioX
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Highlights of the Show:
0:30 – Phil introduces the episode and previews why this 22-year-old guest is so special
1:18 – Mishelle confirms she’s the youngest guest ever on North Georgia Business Radio (22, not 23!)
2:15 – Discussion of UGA’s back-to-back national championships during her time as a student
2:40 – Mishelle explains Synchronize: her app that pairs K-12 students with perfect college mentors
3:25 – How the Synchronize app works (Uber-style model, geographically based matching)
5:05 – The shocking revelation: Mishelle never attended a single UGA football game
5:45 – How she found like-minded entrepreneurial friends at UGA who supported her journey
8:00 – Building in public: Why Mishelle shares her journey on social media despite the haters
12:15 – The importance of staying curious and continuously learning
14:30 – Discussion of AI tools and how Mishelle uses them in her daily work
18:45 – Why she chose computer science and her passion for AI
22:30 – How she balances her full-time job with running her business
25:00 – Mishelle’s YouTube journey since age 14 and building her content creator brand
32:01 – Entering the competitive job market as a recent UGA graduate
34:00 – THE GAME CHANGER: How she skipped the CS job fair and went to the finance fair instead, landing 4 offers
35:04 – Phil’s take: Why doing things outside the classroom matters more than perfect grades
36:53 – Where does Mishelle see herself at 32? Her unique perspective on goal-setting
37:55 – Current goals: Starting a scholarship foundation for low-income students
38:46 – Shoutout to Mishelle’s mom Raquel and the importance of giving back
40:15 – FINAL WISDOM: “You have to open your own doors. No one is going to create opportunity for you.”
