The room buzzed with nervous chatter and bursts of laughter as teams of high school students prepared to step forward and pitch ideas they had spent weeks developing. With presentations that included prototypes and fully developed websites, these students were not just sharing concepts — they were presenting smart solutions to real challenges facing their communities.
This summer, nearly 20 students from Southside High School in UT San Antonio’s TRIO Upward Bound program gathered every Friday for six weeks at the university’s San Pedro I building downtown for the Next-Gen Entrepreneur Summer Program. Through a partnership between UT San Antonio’s Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement and community partner VentureLab, the students completed the nonprofit’s Social Innovation Challenge curriculum and gained hands-on experience in entrepreneurship and problem-solving.
Divided into four teams, students identified community challenges and developed solutions by conducting market research, building prototypes, designing websites, exploring AI tools and practicing everything from cold calling to investor-style pitches.
Their final presentations showcased both creativity and purpose:
- The Roots to Rise team proposed a nonprofit addressing homelessness by connecting individuals with job training, resources and support services while creating volunteer opportunities for students.
- The Pet Haven team introduced a nonprofit animal shelter that rescues and trains stray animals before placing them with families, providing starter kits, training and ongoing support.
- The SafeStalls team presented a business solution to improve school restrooms through durable, floor-to-ceiling, ADA-compliant stalls designed to enhance privacy, safety and comfort.
- Team FLOW (Future Learners of the World) pitched a nonprofit advocating for open, community-centered school design that supports student well-being, academic outcomes and environmental sustainability.
Mark Anthony Solomon, a rising junior at Southside High School and member of the Roots to Rise team, brought a deeply personal perspective. Having experienced homelessness with his family, he helped shape a solution focused on supporting others facing similar challenges.
“We’re learning how to be entrepreneurs by solving problems we’ve seen in our own community,” Solomon said. “My team focused on homelessness because it’s something I’ve experienced, and I wanted to help make things better. This program showed me how important communication and empathy are, and it made me realize I’m braver than I thought.”
Team FLOW member and recent Southside High School graduate Cat Solis said the experience pushed her outside her comfort zone while reinforcing her commitment to making a difference in her community.
“It was interesting that all of us chose to do community-based projects instead of just developing products, and I feel like it shows that we all value making our communities better,” Solis said. “The people from VentureLab really guided us and were so helpful. This program taught me how to take feedback, be adaptable when things didn’t go our way, and work through challenges as a team.”
Solis, who will attend Texas A&M University-San Antonio this fall to study mathematics, said the experience changed how she thinks about having an entrepreneurial mindset.
“At first I didn’t think our ideas would make much of an impact, but just presenting them brings attention to real issues, and that’s where change starts,” she said.
For program leaders, the impact was clear.
“Programs like this help our students discover their passions and learn how to share their ideas with others,” said Mark Hernandez, program coordinator for the university’s TRIO Upward Bound program. “I’ve been inspired by how much they’ve grown, and I’m excited to see what comes next for them.”
“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the level of creativity, commitment and thought these students brought to their projects,” said Erica Clark, EdD, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Najim Center. “Programs like this introduce next-generation learners to entrepreneurship early and help them see themselves as problem-solvers and innovators. This program also showcases the collaboration between UT San Antonio and community partners to provide students with experiential learning opportunities and early exposure to entrepreneurship.”
“We partner with programs like TRIO Upward Bound because access is the whole point,” said Cristal Glangchai, PhD, founder and executive director of VentureLab. “These students already have the drive. They just need someone to hand them a curriculum, a university classroom, and tell them their ideas are worthy of real work. The Najim Center wanted the same thing we did: get students on campus early, let them see themselves there, and connect entrepreneurship to problems they actually live with instead of hypothetical case studies.”
The UT San Antonio Najim Center is known for its innovative, experiential programming designed to prepare students for success in any career. Programs like the Next-Gen Entrepreneur Summer Program help students develop the skills employers consistently look for in job candidates and employees, including strong communication, collaboration and adaptability, all gained through real-world experience.
This summer’s program served as a pilot with TRIO Upward Bound students and VentureLab. Based on its success, the partners plan to continue next year. The Najim Center will also expand the program to additional high schools across the city during the fall and spring semesters in continued partnership with VentureLab.
Each year, the Najim Center connects students with more than 70 industry and community partners. Since its launch five years ago, the center has supported more than 3,000 students through hands-on learning experiences tied directly to workforce needs.
