Ella Bryant-2021 GSE Recipient
Murray High School Sophomore Ella Bryant Selected for Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs
Murray, Ky., April 19----Ella Bryant, Murray High School Sophomore, joins 120 Kentucky students selected for the 2021 Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs summer program. Bryant is Murray High’s second recipient to attend GSE, and the first MHS female to be selected. Bron Bourque, a 2020 MHS graduate, attended GSE in 2018.
Bryant is extremely honored to have this opportunity, while looking forward to the opportunities this program brings to her future. “I'm very grateful that the classes I've taken from the Murray Independent School District prepared me for this opportunity, and provided the resources I needed to be able to be accepted into GSE, along with providing me with the drive to be an entrepreneur. Specifically, Mr. Showns TV class offered at Murray Middle School and Mr. Rosa's Digital Editing/TV Broadcasting class at Murray High School. “
A relative newcomer on the list of Kentucky’s Governor's Schools, GSE opened to its first group of students in 2013. The three-week residential immersion program brings high school students from across the state together and equips them with the tools needed to unleash their innate entrepreneurial spirits for the betterment of Kentucky. During the program, teams of students develop a business model, design a prototype and pitch their startups to a panel of judges. GSE teaches the opportunities, benefits and pitfalls of taking a business concept from the idea phase to pitching it to potential investors.
A highly competitive summer program where Kentucky high school students focus on product innovation and business model design, has announced the selection of 120 students from nearly 50 Kentucky counties for the 2021 program. Hundreds of high school students applied to be part of the GSE experience. Participants are selected through a competitive process that does not consider GPA or test scores, and the experience is free for all participants. This year’s program will welcome 120 high school students from across the commonwealth, up from 72 in recent years, with plans to double the program size in 2022.
“I am so proud of the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs and the students who have been chosen to participate in this premier summer program,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “The GSE experience is so sought after that we have added a second session this year so we could accommodate the increasing demand. Kentucky has set the bar high for giving high school students a rewarding and unique residential college experience. This program will unleash their innate entrepreneurial spirit and put them on a path to create businesses and opportunities that will reap benefits for our state for years to come.”
GSE’s uniquely designed application is structured to identify creative problem-solvers who want to roll up their sleeves and dive head first into creating something meaningful. Bryant is no stranger to this, where she began fostering her passion in design with the MES art club. “I also was involved with a Math/STEM club that pushed for my love of math. The combination of both clubs helped to make me a well-rounded student in terms of (Science/Technology/Engineering /Arts /Math) which aided in preparation for GSE.”
Bryant is excited for the GSE experience. “At GSE I hope to get experience with tools and materials I wouldn't have had access to before, along with hands on preparation for the collage experience. I hope that I will be able to gain skills that will help me with the rest of my high school career and college.”
“While social and economic empowerment has always been at the core of the GSE experience, our talented class of 2021 truly embodies the fact that without diversity in all forms, innovation does not exist,” said Tasha Sams, executive director of GSE. “In fact, what we look for in our participants can’t be tabulated. We seek the innovative thinkers, the collaborators, the risk takers, the change makers, the teens with a drive that is unstoppable. They are Kentucky’s future business creators, and based on GSE’s class of 2021, the future of the commonwealth is brighter than ever!”
While all participants gain vital entrepreneurial skills through the program to use as they enter the workplace or continue into higher education, more than 16 new businesses have been launched by GSE alumni since it started. Others have filed for multiple patents and developed new ideas and relationships that sow the seeds for more business formation .Dozens of alumni have chosen to enroll in entrepreneurial programs at Kentucky universities and attribute this decision to the inspiration they received by attending GSE in high school. Through partnerships with collegiate partners, GSE provides more than $5 million in scholarship funding opportunities to Kentucky high school students each year. GSE fosters and empowers the Commonwealth’s future business owners and community leaders, giving these teens the support they need to go from high school students to business owners.
Because of strong partnerships with entities like the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, The Cabinet for Economic Development, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK), and numerous public and private supporters like the Marksbury Family Foundation, and Nate Morris of Rubicon Global, GSE is completely free for selected entrepreneurs. Alumni of GSE gain access to a host of scholarship opportunities, high school class credit, and a statewide network of life long entrepreneurial support. Since 2013, more than 500 student entrepreneurs have received scholarship funding through the program.
Earlier this month, GSE announced the addition of a second summer session for 2021 to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for the GSE experience. GSE’s first session will run June 6-26, 2021, and the second session July 5-24, 2021. Plans for an in-person program hosted by Northern Kentucky University (NKU) are underway. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GSE will implement health protocols to keep participants safe and has worked alongside university partner NKU and the Northern Kentucky community on a comprehensive and strategic plan for this summer.
Parents, educators, entrepreneurs and teens who believe grit, a growth mindset and creativity in problem solving tell as much about a young person as good grades and test scores, can learn more about the Governor’s School of Entrepreneurs at www.KentuckyGSE.com.
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