MORGANTOWN, W.Va..– The West Virginia University Impact Challenge offers a taste of the spirit of innovation by bringing middle and high school students together with students and faculty to refine their ideas.
The Impact Challenge is an immersive three-day, three-night event held on campus for primary school learners, and WVU students can participate and earn one credit hour. The most recent Impact Challenge addressed the areas of health and fashion, according to WVU Extension Specialist Lauren Prinzo.
“They explored local businesses, the college program we have here on campus,” Prinzo said. “Over the three days they learned strategies in relation to ideation, how to pitch their idea, and at the end they pitched their new idea for a new business product or service.”
The event familiarizes young students with the campus and introduces them to campus life through the students they’re paired with. Participants get exposure to faculty, subject matter experts, and students involved in the program.
“They meet the people that will teach them, they meet other students in the program, and they’re in the fashion lab,” Prinzo said. “So, going to college can feel really intimidating, so it’s a great opportunity to explore those spaces and meet the people you’ll know and be familiar with.”
Over the three-day period, ideas are refined into concepts that can be developed, and ultimately detail their idea to the group and receive feedback.
“They’re working in teams; they’re discussing and bouncing ideas off each other, experts and entrepreneurs,” Prinzo said. “So, it’s really cool to see them find that passion and develop the idea and then stand up in a room and share it out loud.”
The students are selected based on the subjects selected for the challenge and students involved in WVU Extension programs at the county level or learning programs funded by local foundations.
“We also have a new event that we’re excited to offer in the fall of 2025 called the Hayhurst Innovation Summit,” Prinzo said. “That is for youth and young adults who are interested in entrepreneurship.”