In a society where entrepreneurship is growing as fast as bamboo, UMD sophomore Samantha Handler has been hard at work keeping up with an influx of orders for Kicks By Sammy.

The psychology major, who is minoring in business to stay knowledgable about her company, fulfills about two orders — pairs of hand-designed shoes — a week during the school year on top of her homework. She gets a lot more done during the summer and on vacations, she said.

The personalized unique kicks cost $100 and the customer supplies the shoe on top of that. Sammy works with any white canvas shoe, usually Keds, Vans or Converse, and hand-draws the requested designs or images with oil sharpies. Hats are also a huge item and cost $100 for the entire hat to be designed; some people only get portions, which costs less.

Handler has worked hard to expand her company since she started in June 2013, making pairs for her friends going off to college. Social media and word of mouth have played a big role in her expansion. She is gaining a wider range of customers from all across the country and is even making a pair of Vans with cars and trucks on them for Duke, Giuliana Rancic's son.

“I'm getting way more orders now from more places around the U.S.," Handler said. “California, Boston, Long Island, New Jersey, Florida. It's really branching out from just New York."

Handler also wants to start talking to corporations that can develop prints of her designs and companies that sell camp clothing, having them sell her shoes in their stores. Building a relationship with a printing company would allow her to fulfill bulk orders and make one design for a large number of shoes or hats.

Ricki Harwin, a sophomore elementary education major, got a pair of high-top converse UMD kicks in August so she could rock them during tailgate season.

“I love being able to wear them at tailgates to support my school," Ricki said. “It's really cool to wear them knowing no one else has them."

Handler's goal is to make Kicks By Sammy a more established company and run it with more of a business outlook instead of having people view it as just something she is doing in college to make some money. She takes her work seriously and has a vision for it in the future.

“I get to make a profit while doing something I love," Sammy said. “Not many people get to say that. I love it."

To see more, follow Kicks By Sammy on Instagram @kicksbysammy and check out kicksbysammy.webstarts.com