Photo courtesy of Peoria Unified School District
The Peoria MET Professional Academy, known for its unique, immersive high school educational program, is on the hunt for entrepreneurial mentors for the 2023-2024 academic year. As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial mindset amongst its students, MET is seeking an entrepreneur in residence and several business or non-profit project mentors.
The entrepreneur in residence will function as an inspiration, guide, and coach to student teams as they navigate real-world client projects in the fall semester and branch out to developing their own ventures in the spring semester. This part-time role involves imparting knowledge and skills in entrepreneurial mindset, project management, resource identification, and venture development. The entrepreneur in residence will operate under the direction and guidance of Peoria MET administration, spending about three hours on campus two days a week.
Ideal candidates for the role are individuals with hands-on experience in starting and growing entrepreneurial ventures and who can effectively communicate and connect with high school students. A thorough understanding of the West Valley community and its local entrepreneurial ecosystem is desirable.
In addition, Peoria MET is inviting local entrepreneurs to volunteer as business or non-profit project mentors. As a project mentor, one’s role would involve posing a current business or nonprofit challenge to a student team. The team, made up of three to five students, will then spend a semester applying foundational business skills to solve this challenge under the mentor’s guidance. This mentorship includes regular meetings with students to encourage critical thinking and problem solving, as well as collaborative refining of project goals, milestones, and structure with Peoria MET faculty and staff.
Project mentors should ideally be located near the city of Peoria and should have a knack for making complex concepts accessible and engaging. Prior experience working with high school students, and familiarity with the West Valley community and its entrepreneurial ecosystem, will be advantageous.
The MET Professional Academy’s curriculum, in collaboration with the Arizona State University Preparatory Academy, aims to equip students with both technical and essential skills through its focus on STEM education and entrepreneurial mindsets. The Entrepreneurship CoLab, a venture development meetup for students across Peoria, will also provide ample opportunities for applied learning.
Interested individuals are encouraged to reach out to Barb Coakley at [email protected] or Chad Eichenlaub at [email protected].
