High school students from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties enthusiastically pitched their startups and registered nonprofit organizations to local business leaders Wednesday at the second annual Innovators Showcase.
People with entrepreneurial spirit 11th The students were from St. Petersburg, Dunedin, Chamberlain and Hillsborough high schools. These are the first companies to offer Junior Achievement (JA), his rapidly expanding 3DE program in Tampa Bay.
The Innovators Showcase will once again be held at Raymond James Financial’s expansive Carillon campus, culminating in a pitch competition. Division Director Patrick O’Connor said choosing a winner was more difficult than any business decision made on the day.
“How many academic experiences have you seen, like the one you saw today, where people are cheering and emotional and really pulling for each other?” O’Connor asked. “Our long history with JA has been full of exciting moments, but I think what we are doing with his 3DE is the most exciting thing we have seen in our partnership in a long, long time. I have to say it must be something.”
Raymond James Senior Vice President Patrick O’Connor announced that Financial won first place in the pitch competition. St. Pete High School teacher Nicole Jones (far left) celebrates with her team.
Mr O’Connor also emphasized the importance of increasing financial literacy from a young age. The winning team embodied that desire.
St. Pete High School students Avery Lehman, Elise Malm, and Shelby Sublette took first place on the “Funancial” platform and also won a new Apple Watch and AirPods. Participants in the program must identify the problem they plan to address before embarking on a year-long project, but the group noticed a lack of financial literacy among their colleagues and siblings.
Lehman described Financial as a gamified financial education app. A free subscription provides “basic knowledge” and users can pay for more advanced training and features.
Malm said the app will help teens manage their finances as they go to college and enter the workforce. Sublett credits the 3DE program with teaching him how to pitch ideas.
“I learned how to present. I learned how to work with technology, but I also learned how to work with businesses,” Sublette added. “It gave me a lot of the skills I needed.”
Not all of the young innovators on display started their own businesses. Another group at St. Pete High School has created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Eva Jalbert Norris, Elise Mayne and Jeffrey Winger launched Teen Talk to address the rise in teen mental health issues and reduce the stigma surrounding counseling and therapy. Jalbert-Norris said the counselors are college psychology majors with internship requirements.
Mayne said college counselors have a better understanding of the issues they face. She added, “I feel like I’m being dismissed as just another teenager struggling with body image depression.”
Jeffrey Winger (left), Elise Mayne (center), and Eva Jalbert Norris founded Teen Talk, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Mayne said qualified therapists can spend their time helping nonprofit organizations as a tax deduction. She also highlighted a list of local business sponsors of the free program.
Jalbert-Norris said she and Mearn’s family were lucky to be able to afford therapy. “But for the vast majority of students who attend our schools, that’s not the case.” The goal is for new upperclassmen to continue and expand her Teen Talk after the founder graduates.
JA launched 3DE in 2020 at two high schools on either side of Tampa Bay. Gibbs High School and Tenoroch High School (Polk County) will participate in 2022 and participate in the 2025 Innovators Showcase.
Lakewood High School, Blake High School, and Jefferson High School joined the 3DE fold in August 2023. According to its website, the program “redesigns education to be more relevant, experiential, and truly connected to the real world.”
Most participants start as freshmen and develop a viable product, service, or business by the time they turn 11.th School year. Chris Steinocher, CEO of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed firm support for the program at an event on Wednesday.
Dunedin High School student Elijah Lyles founded LS Suits. Even after graduation, she plans to continue selling and renting formal wear at low prices.
Steinocher said the chamber provided 3DE office space at its headquarters to increase business engagement. In addition to Raymond James, his notable program partners include ReliaQuest, PNC, Jabil, Power Design, and the Hough Family Foundation.
“What we saw today, what we see every time we do this, is that they (3DE students) are learning how to solve the problems that we create for them. ” Steinocher said. “My vision is for every high school in Pinellas County to have this program, because this is the future.”
3DE Executive Director Christina Roberts noted that Raymond James offered to host a second Innovators Showcase shortly after the first event concluded. She said the program is proven to develop real-world problem-solving skills.
Mr Roberts said teachers assessed participants across “six key competencies” and students showed improved academic performance and increased engagement in nine competencies.th and 10th School year. “We can read what the state of Florida and the workforce wants. Those are exactly the skills we’re building,” she added.
“3DE helps students develop the skill sets, mindsets, and behaviors that will help them succeed in the world of work, no matter the industry.”
