Local student entrepreneurs selected as finalists for the Washburn University Tri-County Challenge
The Tri-County Challenge was established to encourage high school students to pitch and implement a new idea or an innovation for an existing business. The finalists for the 2014-2015 WU Tri-County Challenge are:
Austin Bigham, and Ethan Pierce, Hiawatha High School
Annie Weingart and Lauren May, Hiawatha High School
Aubrey Wright, Hiawatha High School
Daryan Small, Horton High School
Annie Davis and Katy Holthaus, Nemaha Central High School
Bailey Hundley, Nemaha Central High School
Camden Wenger and Fargo Nichols, Sabetha High School
Larisa White, Sabetha High School
Madison Williams, Sabetha High School
Corinne Haverkamp-Wetmore High School
The Tri-County Challenge was open to all high school students in Brown, Jackson, and Nemaha counties. In the fall, students who registered for the competition were given the opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel of local businessmen and women, receiving valuable feedback. Students then uploaded a 3-minute video pitch and submitted it to Washburn University to compete for a finalist position as selected by School of Business professors.
The select finalists listed above, with the support of their co-sponsor, will now be awarded $500 to implement their business idea. Co-sponsors for the event include Jackson County, Nemaha County, Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development, Horton Industrial Development Corporation and Glacial Hills Rural Business Development Program, each which pledged funding to support the $500 awards to any student finalist from their specific area, within the three county region.
In April, finalists are invited to Washburn University campus to report on their results and share their entrepreneurial experience with the other finalists and faculty. At that time, Washburn will award the winning student entrepreneur(s) $2500 scholarship(s) from the Washburn University School of Business. A total of $10,000 in scholarships will be awarded to the top projects.