Teams of Surrey high school students made their best business case at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) this week to become the next Future Business Leaders.
KPU’s Melville School of Business hosted the annual Future Business Leaders conference Feb. 8 at the university’s Surrey campus. Approximately 40 students – including members of the YELL Canada program for young entrepreneurs – took part in the three-hour mini case competition.
“The Future Business Leaders event is a fantastic opportunity for high school students to get a feel for KPU’s business program in a forum that is fun and informative. Students get the chance to speak with many of our faculty and gain hands-on experience in several activities that business owners do – students learn by doing,” says Brad Anderson, chair of KPU’s entrepreneurial leadership program.
Students worked in groups to develop a solution to a community issue linked to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals before presenting their idea to a panel of KPU judges.
Members of the winning team each earned a $1,000 KPU tuition voucher for their concept – an app designed to make health care more accessible by allowing users to search symptoms and find doctors nearby.
John Grant, a Melville School of Business instructor and event organizer, says past student ideas have ranged from a relatively simple solution for keeping shoes dry when it rains, to a more complex design for an app to better manage hospital wait times.
Participating students are often surprised at how quickly their ideas take shape, adds Grant.
“It’s often challenging to acknowledge that the students who participate are only in high school. Their ideas are often big, bold, and capable of improving the lives and experiences of their peers, family members, and beyond,” he says. “Students find the experience to be fun and empowering – and one that shows how higher education can help them make a larger impact in the world.”