Senior Isaac Selby created a course where students are learning to design a startup that makes a profit and benefits a local social goal. Are you interested?

Can you imagine a class at University Prep without a teacher, a class where you and your fellow peers could decide when all of your assignments are due? Well, there’s an answer to your prayers. Social Entrepreneurship is a class with no adult in the room. The current leader and founder is Senior Isaac Selby. The class checks in with course advisor Brian Gonzalez to explain their progress but in general the students build their own business and make their own deadlines.

The definition of Social Entrepreneurship is: “a business in which uses its product to help benefit a social need.” The mission of Selby’s class is just that for, students to learn how to make a business that addresses a social need. Instead of the business only benefiting the students’ bottom line, it helps benefit a social goal.

An example of a social entrepreneurship business is Tom’s. When the

company sells a pair of shoes, it gives a pair to a person in need. Not only are they getting money from the sale of shoes, but they are using some of the money to help a child in need.

Selby’s plan is for every student to start a business with a social goal in mind by the end of the semester. Right now the class is in the process of brainstorming the local social needs of the community. Some of the problems that the class is thinking about solving include: homelessness, environmental problems and education. Product ideas include care packages, jackets, a hat that can be used as a pillow, selling trees and t-shirt profit sharing.

Sophomores Sebastian Grathwol-Sear and Keenan Van Deusen are both taking the class. “The class is a lot fun,” Van Deusen said.

Being the only teacherless class offered at UPrep, it allows for the students to learn crucial soft-skills. Learning how to get things done and not just doing something that they are given to do [by a teacher]. They have to find out on their own how to set and accomplish goals and objectives “When there is not a teacher there to lay a path for you, you have to find a way to lay the path yourself,” Selby said.  

With this, the class not only offers a great experience and business learning opportunity, but also a lot of weight on Selby’s shoulders. “I have a responsibility to uphold to the teachers for trusting me in making this class,” he said.

All around with the business experience of the students in the class and the support of many at UPrep, this semester has a lot of potential to make a huge impact. “The amount of resources that we have access to are practically unlimited…. You’d be surprised by some of the wild ideas that we could make happen,” class advisor Brian Gonzalez said.

By Gus Coluccio