National Career Academy Offering Scholars Jump Start On Future STEM Careers
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The next generation of inventors is putting their ideas to the test at Morgan State University this week with a special nationwide program.
This competition is giving young minds a head start, as future inventors are getting a head start in high school.
The program is free and brings together students from five major cities, including Baltimore.
At Morgan State this week, young engineers, cyber security experts, and entrepreneurs have just three days to launch a startup and convince judges that its worth an investment.
"There are three real ingredients, building their confidence about what we call the PSAs: their passions, their skills, and their abilities," said INROADS CEO Forest Harper.
The Hack It Upstart immerses students like Baltimore's Jazmine Miller in coaching and guidance from field experts, which eventually helps them land internships and careers in STEM.
"It's been a roller coaster," Miller said. "It's times where it gets hard, but you have to keep persevering. And we've had a lot of new opportunities that we've never had before."
As students from across the country prep for final presentations, five students from D.C. are perfecting a pitch for a specialized sensor to reduce car crash deaths.
"So we've been condensing and making sure that we get straight to the facts, and making sure that we have all the right and correct information that we need," Samara Fair said.
This generation's leaders plugging away at the next big innovations.
"Where are the 21st century workforce's gonna come from?" Harper asked. "They're gonna come from here, this group."
Students are wrapping up their pitches to the judges right Wednesday afternoon, and will receive awards Wednesday night.
Whatever happens at the presentation, there are a lot of eyes on these ideas.
Currently, an NBA team is looking into one of the models from last year.
Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
