Budding Briarcliff MS Entrepreneurs Explore Design Thinking At Columbia

From Briarcliff Middle School: Members of the school’s pilot Entrepreneur’s Club visited the Columbia University design school

Briarcliff Middle School’s Entrepreneur’s Club, a pilot program launched this school year, has introduced students to business models in industries ranging from hydroponic farming, aviation and the culinary arts.

“The club was started based on student initiative,” said club advisor David Golod. Club members have heard presentations from a variety of entrepreneurs throughout the school year.

“In all of the talks, the students [identified] the themes of risk-taking, passion and energy,” said Golod. “They saw belief in what the entrepreneur was doing and determination to make a vision come to life.”

The club members recently took a trip to Columbia University, where they visited the design school and participated in a workshop that introduced them to design thinking.

“They worked through a series of activities that included interviews to understand a situation and identify the ‘pain point’ [problem] for their partner,” said Golod. “This led to finding solutions to solve the issue surrounding that pain point. Finally, students created models of their solutions.”

Moving forward, the young entrepreneurs will begin to create their own businesses.

Photo courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District (Members of the Briarcliff Middle School Entrepreneur’s Club visite the Columbia University design school to participate in a design thinking workshop.)