Hawken Conducts Groundbreaking Entrepreneurship Workshop for Educators

Hawken’s Entrepreneurial Studies was the first program for high school students based on real problems and utilizing Lean LaunchPad (LLP), a methodology designed by Steve Blank and used by Stanford, UC Berkeley, Columbia, and top graduate schools in the country.

Korda, Associate Head of School and Director of Entrepreneurial Studies, led the workshop with Desmond, Assistant Director of Entrepreneurial Studies, who together co-teach Hawken’s three-credit semester honors course for juniors and seniors. Alex Kehaya, an educator and entrepreneur from California who collaborated with Hawken to develop a successful middle school program at Dunn School, assisted.

Seven Hawken Entrepreneurship Class students, now 2014 graduates, also traveled to California to help design and lead exercises with workshop attendees.

“Entrepreneurship is about turning ideas into successful, repeatable realities,” says Korda. “In this program, students are learning how to problem-solve in a fast-changing, unpredictable world. They’re learning 21st century skills, hard and ‘soft’ knowledge, and they’re learning about themselves. Yes, students in this program learn a lot about business, but it’s far more than that.”

Due to the success of the event, Hawken School is planning a fall educator's workshop in Cleveland, as well as an educator's handbook to be published later this year. For more information, visit hawkenentrepreneurs.org.

Click here to view a video of inspiring testimonials from Hawken students.