Since 2022, the StarTUp at the Armory has been partnering with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School through their Corporate Work Study Program to introduce ninth grade students to the exciting world of entrepreneurship. What began as a three-to-four day program has now evolved into a robust five-day experience that allows high school students to dive deeper into design thinking, prototyping, and entrepreneurship at Towson University.
With the growth of the program, Leari Jones and the Towson University StarTUp student ambassadors have developed multiple curriculum variations to support multi-day formats. This adaptability ensures that the program can be tailored to fit different programming needs. The new expanded format provides space for meet-and-greets with TU student entrepreneurs, on-campus tours with TU Admissions, and interactive talks with faculty from TU’s College of Business & Economics, giving students a well-rounded view of what’s possible in business and innovation.
This program is not only an eye-opening journey for Cristo Rey students, many of whom had never considered entrepreneurship as a career path, but also for StarTUp student ambassadors, who are gaining hands-on experience facilitating dynamic, youth-focused programming.
Since the program began, the StarTUp has supported over 330 high school students. As the program continues to grow, the TU StarTUp team is eager to explore offering short-form versions of the program to other schools in Greater Baltimore. Our goal is to inspire more young minds to think creatively, solve real-world problems, and consider entrepreneurship as a viable career path.
We’re excited about the future and the opportunity to nurture even more student innovators in the years to come!
