Pine Bluff, AR — High school and junior high school students recently had the chance to pitch their business ideas during a “Shark Tank” event hosted by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Department of Human Sciences. About 50 spectators made up of UAPB students, faculty, staff and visiting junior high and high schoolers looked on in the Henderson-Young Hall Auditorium as students from Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast in Pine Bluff, Marvell-Elaine High School and eStem High School in Little Rock made their business proposals to a panel of “sharks,” Dr. Kimberly R. Haynie, associate professor for the UAPB Department of Human Sciences, said.
“The event, which was the final symposium for our food and nutrition entrepreneurship course, was a great success,” Dr. Marilyn Bailey, interim chair for the Department of Human Sciences and principal investigator for the VentureWell grant that funded the course, said. “My biggest takeaway is that future generations are very excited about innovation and entrepreneurship. We were blown away by the creativity and detail included in the students’ presentations. We hope to offer more opportunities like this to enable future Golden Lions to showcase their talents, creativity and innovation.”
Nicole Chen and Lauren Davis of Friendship Aspire Academy won the junior Shark Tank event with their business idea dubbed “Starshipper Studio.” Their business would create customized stickers that can be placed on journals, textbooks, notebooks, laptops or water bottles.
The event was designed to highlight the work completed by students enrolled in the food and nutrition entrepreneurship course. LaTasha Ferguson, a freshman human development and family studies major, developed an idea for a non-profit organization for preschool children called “Fun and Learn Box.” Her idea was to get young children excited about healthy eating and to promote healthy habits.
“The gist of Ferguson’s business was to develop and mass produce a box, which would be gifted to children in early learning settings,” Dr. Haynie said. “The box would stimulate and engage young students by providing them with colorful, exciting educational items that promote nutritious eating and healthy habits. Some of the featured items would be a vegetable coloring book, a Leap Pad learning system, the ‘Cutting Game,’ which teaches young children about food preparation and eating vegetables, ‘My First Book of Vegetables,’ and a cookbook for toddlers.”
Dr. Bailey said the event also served as a recruitment initiative for UAPB, as high school visitors had the chance to eat in the UAPB cafeteria and pay a visit to UAPB’s Department of Multimedia Communication. She said the students seemed excited not only to be on a college campus for the first time, but also have the chance to make their presentations.
“This event opened their minds to thinking more creatively about how to support the community they live in,” she said. “One student commented that they were excited to be welcomed to the campus and included in campus activities. We must remember that you can’t be what you can’t see. This event enabled these youth to see themselves participating in academics and campus life.”
The panel of business sharks included Dr. Obadiah Njue, interim dean and director for UAPB’s School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, Joni Alexander Robinson, CEO of the Pine Bluff Black Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Young, principal of Friendship Aspire Academy, and Chloe Brackens, UAPB’s Student Government Association chief of staff.
In addition to the sharks, Dr. Haynie and Dr. Bailey credit several people with making the program a success: principal investigators for the grant, Dr. Meredith Adkins, assistant research professor at the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research at the University of Arkansas (U of A) at Fayetteville and co-principal investigator for the VentureWell grant; Latisha Brunson, the Jefferson County Coordinator of the 100 Families Program at Southeast Arkansas College; Teki Hunt, director of the UAPB 4-H Youth Development Program; and Dai’sha Curlin, an educator at Friendship Aspire Academy.
“In addition to co-facilitating the food and nutrition entrepreneurship course and teaching its business modules, Dr. Adkins was instrumental in designing this Shark Tank event,” Dr. Haynie said. “Dr. Bailey ensured this innovative course was included in the Department of Human Science’s curriculum. Ms. Hunt worked with Marvell-Elaine High School’s communications teacher, Mr. Brandon Copeland, to bring a cohort of high school students to campus to attend the Shark Tank event and visit with UAPB’s communications department. Ms. Brunson supported the acknowledgment and recognition of all presenters. And Ms. Dai’sha Curlin worked with her students to ensure that they were prepared to compete in the event.”
Dr Haynie said the food and nutrition entrepreneurship course will be conducted again in the 2025 spring semester. The course will be available annually and conclude with a Shark Tank contest at the end of each semester.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.