Five Neenah students participated in an entrepreneurship event called “Bridge and Build” that was organized by the Wisconsin Academy of Global Education and Training earlier this month in Milwaukee.
The event welcomed students from Milwaukee, Madison, Beloit and Neenah with the intention of using “sports as a hook” to motivate, educate and connect youth in preparing them for the future. The three-day camp equipped students with basic elements of fiscal literacy, life, entrepreneurship and leadership skills for their development as workers and citizens.
Neenah students who were among the 35 total participants were juniors Haley Hodek, Hannah Hodek and Andrew Watt, and sophomores Nicole Makope and Maggie Mantel. The event took place at the UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health and was guided by a group of individuals from Milwaukee-area companies and organizations along with a group of sports figures representing the Green Bay Packers, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Admirals and Milwaukee Wave.
Students discussed tools such as deepening relationships, networking, changing mindsets, building wealth and creating a personal brand through social media. On the final day, students competed in a pitch contest where they had to develop a new product and create a marketing plan. Makope and Hannah Hodek won the pitch competition and received a $200 prize with a product called “Roll Out the Bacon” where bacon comes individually wrapped and can be rolled out into a pan to prevent greasy hands. Watt finished second and won $100 with a “Teenage Investing” plan. The awards were presented at a Lakeshore Chinooks baseball game on the final night of the event. The students spent the afternoon shadowing the Northwoods League baseball team’s staff in Mequon during the day.
Video of the winning pitch here:
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