Arianna Peper
Editor-in-Chief
“It gives students a chance to build something meaningful and learn how to navigate real-world challenges,” Thrive Entrepreneurship coordinator Kara Siebe said about the Thrive program at WGHS.
Thrive is a year-long program offered to juniors and seniors in which students spend their first three periods of the school day at the WGSD Service Center. There, students work in teams to identify problems, build business ideas, test products, meet with mentors and pitch their ideas.
Siebe said, “They visit local companies, learn directly from professionals, and regularly connect with community mentors who challenge and guide them. Each semester ends with a public Pitch Night, supported by the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill/Brentwood Chamber of Commerce and judged by local entrepreneurs, business leaders and alumni.”
Senior Xavier Pereira, whose team is working on an all-natural wipe in the company Kyros Recovery said, “I joined Thrive to learn more about the world of entrepreneurship and apply that knowledge to my life, furthering my business career.”
Designed for those interested in business, Thrive connects students with mentors to create profitable businesses.
Senior Kaniya Farmer said, “I joined Thrive because it was recommended to me last year, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to start something for myself and push my creativity.”
The program was created seven years ago by Siebe and Steve McAelvey, who co-created Thrive and became one of the first Thrive Community Champions.
McAelvey passed away from cancer during year three, but “his vision and passion still guide the program,” Siebe said.
At this point in the year, Thrive students have registered official businesses with the state, formed LLCs and are actively working with their mentors.
Siebe said, “Right now, teams are refining prototypes, shaping their branding, developing financial plans and gathering customer feedback. We also have several major site visits and guest speakers underway, including visits to World Wide Technology, Bi-State Development, Union Station, and various agencies and startups across St. Louis. These experiences give students a firsthand look at how different industries operate as they continue to grow their ideas.”
Along with this, students have the opportunity to be recognized through pitch competitions where they can earn funding, professional feedback and community support for their businesses. Several competitions have taken place so far, where every team earned $250 in seed funding, and an additional $1,000 was awarded at its recent Digital Strike Pitch.
Farmer has created a clothing brand, Rivera Dream, that also sells accessories, including charm bracelets.
Farmer placed second at the Digital Strike Pitch competition, which she said “definitely fueled me to work harder on my business.
For her brand, Farmer is currently working on doing pop-up shops for her charm bracelets and designing all of the signature pieces so she can launch her website.
Along with upcoming pitches, the class will travel to New York City in January for a series of “site visits and professional experiences, continue advancing their business ideas, take products to market and keep working closely with their mentors,” Siebe said.
The Thrive program’s structure allows for students to gain communication skills and a strong understanding of the business world by taking their own ideas and exploring new pathways with real-world experience.
This setup has left a lasting impression on alumni from the program as well.
Harrison Morriaty, Webster graduate, said via LinkedIn, “Programs like this don’t come around often, by now, every alumni from Thrive that I’ve worked with and met have gone to be very successful after high school whether it was their work and involvement in their jobs/internships, or even being recognized for their academics/accolades at their own Universities, all because of the influence we gained from this very program.”
Arianna Peper–Editor in Chief
This will be Arianna Peper’s third year on ECHO staff. She made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year.
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