FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs (GSE), within the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, today announced 72 high school students have been selected to participate in the 2019 GSE program at Northern Kentucky University from June 23 – July 13.
GSE brings together high school students from across Kentucky, immersing them in a creative space during a three-week residential program and arming them with the educational tools needed to unleash entrepreneurial spirits.
More than 300 high school students applied to participate in the program. This year 72 students were selected from a competitive application process to receive full tuition scholarships, marking the highest enrollment number for the program.
Through GSE, students learn firsthand about the opportunities, benefits and pitfalls of beginning a business. Teams of high school students develop business models, design prototypes, and pitch startup ideas to a large audience and panel of judges.
“Congratulations to the high school students who have been selected for this year’s Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs program,” said Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Derrick K. Ramsey. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to be immersed in a creative, real-world experience where they can develop the skills needed to develop and launch their own business. It is also a great place to learn from each other and their teachers and experience a college campus.”
Student participation in this annual entrepreneurial program has inspired more than eight new businesses throughout the Commonwealth, and actively engaged hundreds of GSE alumni in Kentucky’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs is a great source of inspiration, knowledge and real-world experience for Kentucky’s next generation of innovators,” said Brian Mefford, Executive Director of KY Innovation. “The students selected for this year’s program should be proud and excited about the opportunity ahead of them. Their time at NKU will allow them to not only hone their entrepreneurial skills, but also be practitioners who actually launch businesses. KY Innovation is committed to supporting GSE’s mission and we look forward to even more growth in the future.”
Through partnerships with collegiate partners, GSE provides more than $2.7 million in scholarship funding opportunities to Kentucky high school students each year. Since 2013, more than 350 student entrepreneurs have received scholarship funding through the program.
To learn more about GSE scholarship opportunities, visit www.KentuckyGSE.com.
The 2019 Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs Program finalists are as follows:
Eastern Region
- Braedon French, junior at Wolfe County High School
- Cameron Gibson, sophomore at Boyd County High School
- Charles Bechtel, junior at Russell High School
- Greg Ou, sophomore at Madison Southern High School
- Madilyn Smoot, junior at Jackson Independent High School
- Staeton Sanders, junior at South Laurel High School
Central Region (Lexington to Louisville and surrounding)
- Aafreen Shaik, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Aanika Garre, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Aidan Sheridan-Rabideau, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Alexis Shaffer, junior at Shelby County High School
- Amelia Wilson, junior at Western Hills High School
- Andrew Dunn, sophomore at Dupont Manual High School
- Angelina Atieh, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Anisha Polimati, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Anneli White, a junior at Martha Layne Collins High
- Austin Holt, a junior at Scott County High School
- Carolyn Lawler, junior at Scott County High School
- Corey Caudill, junior at Scott County High School
- David Ashley, junior at Bethlehem High School
- Devin Ward, junior at South Oldham High School
- Elijah Buchholz, junior, homeschooled
- Elinor Keck, sophomore at Western Mst Magnet High School
- Ellie Hummel, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Esha Khan, junior at Elizabethtown High School
- Ethan Jackson, junior at Elizabethtown High School
- Ian Nation, junior at Martha Layne Collins High School
- Isabel Wolter, junior at Sacred Heart Academy
- James Bordeaux, sophomore at Mercer County Senior High School
- John DuPlessis, sophomore at Dupont Manual High School
- Jonathan Swindler, junior at Martha Layne Colins High School
- Kaitlyn Brandenburg, junior at Elizabethtown High School
- Kavya Koneru junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Kelli Bevins, junior at Scott County High School
- Khalid Rashad, sophomore at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
- Lakot Brenda Lakang sophomore, at Western Mst Magnet High School
- Logan Farley, junior at Scott County High School
- Luke Daughtery, junior at Martha Layne Collins High School
- Madeline Hite, junior at Bethlehem High School
- Matthew Bartholomai, junior at St. Xavier High School
- Morgan Hiestand, junior at Sacred Heart Academy
- Rabia Nasir, sophomore at Elizabethtown High School
- Riya Shah, junior at North Oldham County High School
- Sarayu Alli, junior at Dupont Manual High School
- Savannah Buchholz, junior, homeschooled
- Sydney Glenn, junior at Scott County High School
- William Hands, junior at Lafayette High School
- William Alger, sophomore at Western Mst Magnet School
- Wilson Inkso, junior at Scott County High School
- Zachary Wingert, sophomore at Western Mst Magnet High School
- Zahra Alhelu, junior at J. Graham Brown School
Western Region
- Cade Bleidt, junior at Trigg County High School
- Devon Spande, junior at Greenwood High School
- Jonathan Sills, sophomore at Marshall County High School
- Kayla Murphy, junior at McCracken County High School
- Kendall White, sophomore at Hancock County High School
- Nicholas Martin, junior at Bowling Green High School
- Parker Stoubaugh, junior at South Warren High School
- Riley Hamm, sophomore at Beechwood High School
- Trenton Dambrowitz, junior at Greenwood High School
Northern Region
- Briana Seibert, junior at Notre Dame Academy
- David Herfel, junior at Highlands High School
- Isabelle Bailey, junior at Notre Dame Academy
- Kate Joyce, junior at Notre Dame High School
- Lizzy Roeding, junior at Highlands High School
- Madison Duvall, sophomore at Owen County High School
- Megan Farney, junior at Highlands High School
- Molly Bucher, junior at Highlands High School
- Molly Kleier, junior at Notre Dame Academy
- Phoebe Boyle, junior at Notre Dame Academy
- Shabnam Tursunova, junior at Randy Cooper High School
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