Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Entrepreneurial Grad Gives Back to Department

A recent graduate from the College of Applied Health Sciences has taken the bold step of starting his own online business while designating proceeds to the academic unit that awarded his undergraduate degree. Nik Lapin, a 2003 graduate of the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, recently founded an online clothing company that offers original Illini T-shirt designs. The venture, Illinitees.com, is especially noteworthy because Nik has donated a portion of his sales to the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism.

Nik was able to capitalize on the success of the Illinois basketball team this past season by offering a variety of shirts supporting the team. He has plans to expand his business to cater to other organizations that may need custom T-shirts. “I never thought the business would take off as it did,” says Lapin. “Starting a business was always something I wanted to do, and donating money back to the department was a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the professors and administrators who made a difference in my life and my time at the U of I so enjoyable. Hopefully the money donated can be used to help give others the same experience I had in the department."