What happens when you give more than 500 high school students the same real-world challenge and the opportunity to develop their own solutions? A whole lot of creative thinking, collaboration and innovative ideas.
Students from 14 high schools across Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey put their entrepreneurial skills to the test during the EntreX Lab Delaware Connect design sprint, a fast-paced competition that challenged students to develop an innovative solution to a real-world problem and pitch their idea to a panel of judges.
This year's challenge came from community partner Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, which posed a question directly relevant to the students themselves: How can we make Goodwill Gen Z's preferred choice for the things they no longer need?
Working in teams alongside students from other schools, participants had just the morning to brainstorm ideas, develop a solution and prepare a 90-second pitch. Their proposals were evaluated by a panel of judges representing Goodwill and the business community, including Goodwill Director of Sustainability Fabiana Otero and Goodwill board members Jeff Kaczmarczyk, Kyle McLaughlin, Susan Nickel and Alexia Sassi.
The Orange Team took first place, earning each student a $20 gift card. Their winning concept proposed an affiliate-style e-commerce program that would allow Gen Z users to create storefronts on Goodwill's platform, earn commissions on sales and encourage donations through incentives.
Students on the winning team included Paris Bell (Mount Pleasant), Colin Brannan (Devon Preparatory School), Devren Brunson (Freire Charter Wilmington), Chase Callahan (Penncrest), John Cartlidge (Interboro High School), Cheng Ying Cheng (Newark High School), Ny'asia Coyle (Newark High School), Evelyn Deas (Padua Academy), Pierce Drake (Bishop Shanahan High School), Zach Goldstein (Penncrest), Rohit Karthik (The Charter School of Wilmington), Joe Martuscelli (Salesianum School), Phorever Mcmanus (Freire Charter Wilmington), Meja Motiekaityte (Perkiomen), Rocco Priest (Salesianum School), Lachlan Raffan (The Charter School of Wilmington), Chris Russell (Salesianum School), Sharifun Sayma (Mount Pleasant), Matthew Trotter (Penncrest) and Daksh Verma (The Charter School of Wilmington). The team was led by educators Tracy Cameransi (MOT Charter) and Edwin Smith (Glasgow High School).
"I see problem solvers that want to impact the world in a positive way,” said Otero. “This is a new wave of consumers, of leaders, or entrepreneurs that we're experiencing now, and so I have a lot of hope as it pertains to the world of sustainability and social impact that these are leaders who are going to have an impact in a lot of these areas"
Beyond the competition, students participated in a day of hands-on innovation activities, including a Leadership by Design workshop led by professor Nat Measley. Through exercises in divergent and convergent thinking, teamwork and persuasive communication, students gained practical experience turning ideas into solutions and communicating them effectively.
The innovation continued beyond the in-person event with a virtual Delaware Connect design sprint, bringing the same Goodwill challenge to approximately 300 additional students from 10 schools. Working collaboratively, students developed and pitched 12 additional ideas, with two teams earning top honors for their innovative approaches from New World High School and Saint John Vianney High School. Together, the in-person and virtual experiences engaged more than 500 students in tackling a real-world business challenge through creativity, collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking.
Students represented 23 high schools across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania:
These schools adopted the EntreX Lab program, a curriculum program focused on entrepreneurship education. The course focuses on the key skills of idea generation, creative problem solving, leadership, evidence-based decision making, resilience, teamwork and persuasive communication. Learn more about the EntreX Lab program and adopting it at your school.
Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for people with barriers to self-sufficiency, through the Power of Work! We are one of 150 independent local Goodwill Organizations. Many people know Goodwill through its stores and donation centers. Those donations serve to support job training, employment services, community programs, and sustainability efforts that keep usable goods in circulation. At Goodwill, donated items are not just things to be sold or recycled—they are resources that generate value for our people, planet, and prosperity. Through this innovation challenge, students and teachers will explore how Goodwill’s mission, operations, and sustainability work come together to turn donations into solutions for local communities.
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the US, Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.