The SMCA Entrepreneurship Center for Economic and Social Innovation [7] provides a unique opportunity for students to interact with community entrepreneurs on a regular basis as they begin to explore their own entrepreneurial potential. The goal of the center is to inspire each student as thought leaders who are challenged to take action and to become agents of change through for-profit and non-profit business designed to improve economic opportunities for all.
The core curriculum of the center is grounded in entrepreneurial research as it relates to the cognitive development of a child growing up in a family business with entrepreneurial parents. Dr. Cindy Iannarelli, a leading expert in the area of the development of entrepreneurial thinking, states that “most individuals have entrepreneurial potential and it can be developed in a systematic methodical way.”
Resident Entrepreneurs from our community offer their time and talents to mentor our emerging leaders. Volunteer entrepreneurs are involved as speakers, advisors, and mentors. Some also allow for on-site visits and internships within their small businesses which allows for a more personal experience for the emerging teen entrepreneur.