This year, I am one of the two students in the Randolph County startUP program. Cortnie Winkler and I are both interested in possibly pursuing a business-related career in the near future. This program is intended to teach high school students the ins and outs of the business world before being thrown head first into it in college. 

The first business venture of the year is a badge business. At first, we were basically told to use the leftover funds from last year’s class and order name badges to wear all year. After attending a board meeting, we discovered that last year’s class made over $1,000 from selling advertisements on their name badges. We immediately switched up our plans. Right now, we are in the middle of contacting businesses and trying to sell pieces of advertisements on our badges. We are both being drug out of our comfort zone, but I enjoy the new experiences and the exposure to what I could be doing for the rest of my life.

Many people wonder why startUP continued with this year’s class of two students. Cortnie and I have agreed that the size of this class is actually an advantage. We get to tailor our curriculum to our needs, learning exactly what we want to. With a bigger class, we wouldn’t get that freedom. I would recommend startUP to anyone interested in business as a career path. It truly helps with early exposure to what a college business class will be like.