Fisher Program Empowers Students to Think Like Entrepreneurs

This summer, more than two dozen high school students experienced entrepreneurship in action during the inaugural EmpowerED Program.

Hosted in collaboration between St. John Fisher University’s School of Business and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Rochester (BBBS), EmpowerED is a six-week program that offers students a comprehensive and engaging entrepreneurship education. The pilot year was made possible thanks to a more than $74,000 grant from the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation.

Dr. Chantz B. Miles, Rebecca Pelino ’86 Entrepreneur-in-Residence and visiting assistant professor in the School of Business, developed EmpowerED after seeing a gap in entrepreneurial education at the high school level. A volunteer with BBBS, Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York (JA), and DECA’s (formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America) high school program, he noted few opportunities existed for students to learn about entrepreneurship in a hands-on, cohort-based model, particularly during the summer months.

“Fisher’s School of Business - through its focus on entrepreneurship - has an opportunity to impact this need in collaboration with community partners by sharing its knowledge and experience with high school students from in and around the City of Rochester,” Miles said.

Partnering with BBBS and hosting the program at their new downtown offices helped make the program accessible to students in the city and the six-week format ensured an in-depth and comprehensive learning experience for participants.

“The curriculum was designed to be enriching, offering participants opportunities to explore new interests, specifically in entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation,” Miles said.

In the first few weeks of the program, students dug right into the work, tackling the challenge of building a virtual bicycle business using Marketplace Simulations software. Miles said the project helped introduce students to essential business skills including market analysis, financial management, and strategic planning.

“The students were making real-time decisions in a competitive simulated environment, gaining invaluable insights into running a business,” he explained.

The students learned how to bring their ideas to life, using LEGOs, 3D printing and prototyping, and robots. In addition, they met with notable entrepreneurs in Rochester, including Paul Guglielmo, founder and CEO of Guglielmo Sauce. Program participants also spent a day at Fisher, engaging in an entrepreneurship summit alongside students from JA and the Rochester City School District’s Acceleration University.

The program concluded with the EmpowerED Showcase, where students presented their business ideas to judges, mentors, and community members.