Growth Through Connections

Rising Seniors in the Richmond area collaborate with business professionals during the Cochrane Summer Economic Institute program.
You’re never too young to advance your professional learning journey. 

This is, in essence, the founding principle of the Cochrane Summer Economic Institute
(CSEI), a summer program for rising high school Seniors in the Richmond area designed to strengthen their knowledge of economics and sharpen their entrepreneurial skills through collaboration with both local and global business professionals. 

Beginning in early July, 25 students from 9 area high schools gathered at Collegiate School to take part in the program, which is administered by Collegiate’s Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship. The atmosphere was one of spirited student interest and enthusiasm for the opportunity to connect what they have learned in the classroom to the larger professional world. “I felt really inspired,” one student said of the program. “It’s exciting to spend your summer productively, meeting people, building up skills and having engaging experiences.”

Over the course of the four weeks, students are grouped in teams and assigned to a respective company partner. The CSEI 2021 partners — Midas of Richmond, Dominion Payroll, LeapIT, Naborforce, eNASCAR, and Outdoor Access — serve as mentors to the teams, providing students with insights into the professional world by sharing the intricacies of their company. Students then define challenges and propose solutions meant to address systemic concerns uncovered through research. After completing their research, students leveraged ArcGIS to identify and share data that supported their logic and highlighted their findings using Story Maps, a valuable tool that combines creative storytelling and data analysis. 

The team that partnered with Outdoor Access, co-founded by Jamie Christensen, a Collegiate parent, explored how they could further facilitate access to private land for recreational activities. The solution the group designed for Mr. Christensen and his team was an interactive activity site where users can explore the various outdoor adventures available around the state of Virginia. 

“One of the great things about the program is that it simulates the real world, and working with Mr. Christensen was a valuable part of that work,” said Cindy Xie, a student at The Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics at Douglas S. Freeman High School and a member of the Outdoor Access Team. 

One benefit of CSEI is the professional connections the program provides the students, giving them the chance to establish themselves in a business setting before they attend college.  Throughout the course of the program, students work directly with their company mentor and collaborate and learn from guest speakers, all of whom add unique perspectives to the possibilities of the professional world. “Having all the background that the speakers have given us — of looking into entrepreneurship and economics and just the way a business is set up — really helps us make connections,” said Chris-Ann Nelson, who is a student at Meadowbrook Academy for Developing Entrepreneurs (M.A.D.E) at Meadowbrook High School. 

This year’s guest speakers included: Collegiate alumn Beth Appel, Vice President of Finance and Infrastructure at Aptiv; Jamie Christensen, President of Outdoor Access; John Dau, Collegiate’s Global Scholar-in-Residence and founder of the John Dau Foundation; John Failla, founder and CEO at Trilogy Mentors; Shiv Govindan, Principal at the Helios Companies; Lucy Meade, Director of Economic Development and Community Relations for Venture Richmond; and Ben Terry, Executive Director, Corporate Partnerships for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Listening to the speakers, students were compelled forward in their own projects. The discussions not only helped them prepare for the professional world, but also stimulated students’ interest in their education. “There are lessons that I’ve learned through this that I will definitely take with me into my future studies and my future career,” said Chloe Schneider, a student from The Steward School.

CSEI also establishes valuable connections between students, giving them the chance to collaborate with peers from different communities. “A lot of us go to different schools,” explained John Woodfin, a Collegiate student. “But I consider us all great friends now. Getting to work together in groups and socialize is a great experience.” 

Some students felt that, because of CSEI, their understanding of what was possible in their careers instantly expanded. Roman Chenoweth, who attends Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, said the experience was invaluable and insightful. “Listening to the experts broadened my perspective,” he said. “And hearing about how these people work is fascinating.”  

The seeds of that fascination are sown during CSEI, but now, having seen that career possibilities are boundless, students can expand their curiosity, pushing it forward into their educational pursuits, entrepreneurial endeavors and professional life. 

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