STARTedUP Foundation Turns Students into Innovators
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The STARTedUP Foundation empowers and encourages Indiana high school students to find solutions to major problems.
Don Wettrick, the CEO of STARTedUP Foundation, Inc., says the organization’s Innovate Within program helps Indiana students discover ways to solve problems and become entrepreneurs.
Wettrick says upwards of 7,000 Indiana high school students compete to start their own businesses. Thousands will attend various pitch competitions in six regions across Indiana, where they identify problems and break them down to solve them. Wettrick says Indiana teachers are a crucial part of the process. “Teachers know everyone.”
To solve big problems, Wettrick says he wants students to “see a problem as an opportunity.” He says he wants to give innovators an outlet. He wants students to feel empowered and validated.
One benefit of the program is that Indiana high school students can build a network of peers and mentors. Wettrick wants those networks to be sustainable and cooperative. He wants students to not just complain about problems but solve them.
