“Invent You at the U,” the collaborative event between the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and The V(i)llage to inspire future black entrepreneurs and innovators, drew more than 80 high school and middle school participants today. Everyone got a taste for college life and everything it offers.
“Programs like this are important for building college pathways for black students,” said Bryan K. Hotchkins, The V(i)llage program co-founder and a post-doctoral research associate in the U’s Master of Public Administration Department. “The goal is to create interest in the University of Utah for these students and motivate them to graduate from here.”
“I learned from today that we have a lot of opportunities and resources available to us that most people don’t know about,” Sligh said. “A lot of us are at the bottom and are just students, but just because we aren’t school presidents or team captains doesn’t mean we can’t be leaders. These programs help make us into leaders.”
After a brief tour of the new Student Life Center and a treasure hunt, the day’s activities culminated in an innovation tournament. The students divided into groups and came up with a unique solution to a problem. The students them narrowed the ideas to the four best and voted on one.
Donald Sligh, 17, won the tournament with his idea named “The SLIGH Innovation Program,” which consisted of a balanced curriculum of CTE courses and scholarly experiences that would help students learn new ways to innovate and maximize their preparation when entering the workforce.
“I learned from today that we have a lot of opportunities and resources available to us that most people don’t know about,” Sligh said. “A lot of us are at the bottom and are just students, but just because we aren’t school presidents or team captains doesn’t mean we can’t be leaders. These programs help make us into leaders.”
Read our earlier article here. Photos and more available at #VillageU.
