The following was originally published by the Sun Community News.
ESSEX | Recently, a group of students from Moriah, Crown Point and Willsboro attended a CFES Brilliant Pathways workshop as they prepared to enter college. They shared ideas, including a healthcare nonprofit for small, rural communities; an automated window squeegee for high-rise buildings; a detection device for date-rape drugs; a shielded, heated umbrella; a nonprofit to discourage bullying; a stethoscope for the hearing-impaired; and sidewalks that would use foot traffic to generate electricity.
The workshop was part of UVM’s Pitch Challenge, a program offered by the University of Vermont that inspires high school students to invent products or develop ideas that can be successfully applied to the real world. At CFES headquarters in Essex, N.Y., Brian Gomez, UVM’s Assistant Director of Admissions, highlighted that participating in the challenge benefits college applications, saying, “Colleges look beyond transcripts. They want students who engage with their communities—something we highly value at UVM.”
The challenge will run again in 2025 and offers a full scholarship to UVM for the winner, and cash prizes for the top runners-up. Students are encouraged to come up with ideas that are financially sustainable, but also have a positive impact on society.
The challenge is open to grade 10-12 students, regardless of where they live.
Participants can enter as individuals or in teams of up to three, creating business plans aimed at community development or broader social good. As they develop their ideas, students receive coaching in business skills, including market analysis, business planning, and capital acquisition. Finalists will pitch their concepts to a panel of UVM business students in a format similar to the popular show “Shark Tank.”
For more information about the Vermont Pitch Challenge and to apply, visit UVM Pitch Challenge. Applications are open through Feb. 15.