"By making [entrepreneurship] a focus at the Danforth Campus, we are equipping the next generation with the mindset and toolset to thrive as professionals, no matter what career path they ultimately choose.”
Four graduates from the entrepreneurship program are moving on from Francis Tuttle with a plan and some viable business ideas.
Ava Beery (Deer Creek), Jaxton Howard (Edmond Memorial), and Damien Guo and Colby Howard (both Edmond North) have plans to attend four-year universities, and thanks to their time in the Entrepreneurship Program at Francis Tuttle Technology Center, they all have business ideas that could change the way the world works. Some of their businesses are already up and running.
“You can’t really just get by in entrepreneurship, just like you can’t really get by in life,” Guo, who plans to attend the University of Wisconsin, said. “It’s so dynamic that you can’t get by on just doing the same thing twice. You always have to do it a new way or a different way. And in the end, you have all these pieces that come together and create what you’ve been working toward. It’s such a rewarding feeling.”
The program is similar to others at Francis Tuttle, where hands-on skills are taught in real-world settings to prepare students for successful careers. They spend half their day at their sending high school and the other half in their career training program at Francis Tuttle.
The Entrepreneurship Program at Francis Tuttle’s Danforth Campus in Edmond uses the business-building process as an educational tool. Students spend part of their day brainstorming, collaborating, and problem-solving to develop a business plan that they would be prepared to pitch to professionals.
“Entrepreneurship education teaches students invaluable skills beyond just starting a business,” Williams said. “Skills like innovative thinking, team building, project leadership, and adaptability set them up for success in any professional field. By making this a focus at the Danforth Campus, we are equipping the next generation with the mindset and toolset to thrive as professionals, no matter what career path they ultimately choose.”
Read more about the Entrepreneurship graduates and their business ideas:
- Ava Beery - Avalanche Media: "I got to see the reality of what it means to start your own business."
- Colby Howard - Operational Edge: "It pushed me to look at things from an innovative perspective."
- Jaxton Howard - Howard Protective Solutions: "It equipped me with a lot of those life skills and showed me how I can implement innovation into almost anything I am doing."
- Damien Guo - Tick Stick: "You don't feel the need to defend yourself so much. It's a very encouraging environment."
Entrepreneurship started at Francis Tuttle in August of 2021. The campus is also a member of Partners in Invention Education, a program by Lamelson-MIT to expand entrepreneurship education through secondary schools nationwide.
The work done by students in the Entrepreneurship Program has led to business ideas that received substantial investor interest, such as a device that tells you if an electronic gadget is about to be ruined in the washing machine and a social media marketing service geared toward new and small businesses.
The four seniors who completed the Entrepreneurship program this spring are the first to have gone through all three years of eligibility – from sophomore to senior. Their journeys are unique, yet all of them credit the program with teaching skills that are important for any job in addition to business ownership.