Barrett Moody ’25 Brings Service Entrepreneurship Learning to Life with City Mural Installation

The new train mural at the corner of East Main and Musgrove is the brainchild of Moody, who has been working for well over a year to bring a splash of color and character to downtown Clinton.

“It all started with a ‘thinkcubator,’ or basically a think tank with local business owners and student leaders,” says Moody. “We brainstormed many ideas but the most feasible, considering time and budget, was the mural.”

After understanding what the people of Clinton wanted, Moody started lobbying the Clinton City Council to consider the project. She raised over $6,000 with events like “Mimosas for the Mural” and collaborated with fellow PC students, local businesses, city officials and a local artist to bring the new mural to life.

The mural, which was completed in May, is hard to miss—it sits 100 ft wide by 20 ft long at the corner of East Main and Musgrove. It was designed and painted by local artist Janette Marvin, who incorporated images put forth by Clinton High School students.

The mural prominently features a steam engine rolling through the Upstate countryside. There are a number of hidden Easter eggs that are representative of Clinton, such as images of Martha Dendy, William Plumber Jacobs, and even the PC mascot, Scotty.

Moody’s fire for entrepreneurship and community involvement was fueled during her sophomore year at PC when she took a class offered on service entrepreneurship. The course guided students through the development of individual business plans that would help to solve issues in their hometowns. The course supports PC’s commitment to service, as well as the annual Service Entrepreneurship Competition for high school seniors that started in 2021.

“Taking the service entrepreneurship class placed me in front of multiple city figures who I formed a relationship with and was able to further develop this project with,” says Moody. “It prepared me by allowing me to see what the business climate, the surrounding culture and the previous successes in the city were.”

Barrett Moody with Robbie Neal, Clinton City Councilwom

 

PC has since expanded upon the service entrepreneurship opportunities at the college, now offering a new service entrepreneurship minor. Interdisciplinary in nature, the minor combines elements of business, economics, sociology and political science and complements a variety of career paths where creating positive social impact and entrepreneurial thinking are essential, from community development and education to policy and advocacy.

“From my service entrepreneurship class, I learned that service entrepreneurs are not the same as regular for-profit players,” says Moody. “Any innovation that serves the public can be considered business. Because of this class, I took a more business approach to my service project, forming a business plan and considering partners. I also learned the great story of Norman Scarobourough and numerous other entrepreneurs which really motivated me.”

Moody doesn’t just recommend service entrepreneurship to those interested in playing an active role in positive community growth; she says it’s something all people should be involved in as good community stewards.

“When I came to Clinton, I saw a town in need of good representation and a point to rebrand from,” says Moody. “I took the opportunity to be a good steward and worker. If you work to satisfy your own needs and wants it gets repetitive; but if you work for yourself and towards a common goal, there is purpose. I advise everyone to dip into service entrepreneurship; we all live in this world, which means it’s up to us to keep it up together.”

To learn more about the new service entrepreneurship minor at PC, visit the website.