Faculty and staff don’t always get to see the lasting impact of the time they invest in supporting students. But alumnus Lorenzo Scardicchio is their proof. He credits UNLV for helping him find and refine his purpose at a dark time in which he was feeling lost. Now, he’s the Founder & CEO of Journey Nudge, a software that supports students through the ups and downs of college — helping them stay grounded, pursue their goals, and feel less alone.

Scardicchio’s clarity didn’t come overnight. When he arrived at UNLV, he didn’t have a five-year plan or even a clear direction. His soccer career had just ended after a serious injury, and soon after, his uncle — his confidant and mentor — died by suicide. Scardicchio was lost and searching for something to anchor him.

What he found at UNLV was a restart. Through the guidance of key faculty and the freedom to explore what felt meaningful, Scardicchio rebuilt from the ground up. He graduated from UNLV in 2019 with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in business administration — one in entrepreneurship and the other in marketing — earning Dean’s List recognition, cum laude honors, and serving as both a Medallion Mentor and Global Business Ambassador.

That same year, he and a team of classmates from Lee Business School took first place in the American Marketing Association Collegiate Case Competition, an annual event that brings together marketing students to solve and present a case study. Scardicchio’s team outpaced top schools such as Wharton and Johns Hopkins with a strategy focused on personalizing news content for Gen Z readers. 

“My favorite part was interviewing students, hearing what they loved about platforms like Spotify and why,” he said. “That shaped everything.”

He credits the win to a team that “cared deeply, worked hard, and had fun doing it,” as well as faculty support from professors like Jack Schibrowsky, who coached the competition team.

The win earned them an invitation to present at Dow Jones headquarters in New York City and validated something even bigger: Listening deeply, and building with empathy, works.

From Corporate to Founder

The victory also opened a door: after graduation, Scardicchio was offered a position at The Wall Street Journal. That experience is what he now calls his launchpad, “It taught me how big businesses move, gave me a network, and proved I could hang with the best.”

After a few years in corporate America, he felt called to build something more personal. Entrepreneurship ran in his blood. “My family came here as immigrants from Italy and poured their lives into an Italian restaurant that’s still open nearly 30 years later,” he said. “I grew up watching my parents gamble everything”. 

So when the chance came to leap into entrepreneurship, he didn’t hesitate. “I believed in what we were building. I believed in the impact it had — especially with our generation. And I knew the mix of family grit, hard lessons, and WSJ training set me up to grow something of my own.”

That leap became Journey Nudge, a digital support tool that blends theory, AI, SMS, and behavioral science to deliver short, personalized messages to help students manage stress, build habits, and follow through on their goals. 

Journey Nudge begins with a short “Personality Quest” that helps students identify their goals, preferences, and where they typically get stuck. Based on their responses, they receive a few nudges each week — short, well-timed messages grounded in behavioral science.

Unlike most platforms, there’s no app to download. Students receive nudges by text. Some nudges are motivational. Others are practical. But all are designed to meet students where they are right when they need it.

Over six months, students using the platform reported stronger follow-through on daily goals, reduced screen time, and a greater sense of control in how they responded to stress. The engagement rate topped 74%.

“We’re trying to restore agency so students can respond to life rather than just react,” he said.

When the Work Became Personal

Scardicchio’s goal for Journey Nudge is clear: Eliminate suicide among college-aged students. It’s an urgent mission, and a deeply personal one.

“To even write that is painful,” he said. “But that’s why we do this.”

Scardicchio speaks openly about the loss of his uncle to suicide, a turning point that changed how he thought about success and purpose.

“He was the one person who simply wanted me to be well,” Scardicchio said. “I couldn’t bring him back, but I could build something that listened the way he listened.”

The leading expert in the field of suicide prevention, Dr. John Draper, defines the three C’s of suicide crisis response as connection, collaboration, and choice. It’s no coincidence those same principles are at the heart of Journey Nudge,  which Scardicchio says is “giving students meaningful choices, a genuine sense of agency in their growth, and the structure they need to thrive.” 

Today, Journey is directly accessible at the University of New Haven, and available to students at more than 150 universities through a partnership with Modo Labs. Campuses such as Penn State, NYU, and Northern Arizona University have integrated Journey into their student app ecosystems.

Scardicchio is in the business of helping people feel less alone and that’s the kind of work he never gets tired of showing up for.