High School Juniors Can Earn a Free College Scholarship Learning AI at WTAMU

Picture this: you're a high school junior in the Amarillo area, sitting on a college campus, working on developing an AI-powered business idea. So instead of just learning about AI, you're actively using it to develop something new. While you're working on that, you're also earning a scholarship.

What Is the Future Founders Academy?

If that sounds like something for you, well, you are in luck because West Texas A&M University is creating the Future Founders Academy (FFA). FFA isn't your typical academic program:

• Students won't just sit through lectures about AI.
• They will work on their own ideas and learn how those ideas could become actual products or services.
• The program combines artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, business research, and coding.
• Students will also receive guidance from Engler College faculty and students.
• Students get hands-on guidance building a real business idea, not just lectures.

What Students Will Learn in the Future Founders Academy

AI and Coding

• Learn how to use AI to develop business concepts.
• Learn coding skills.
• Explore how AI can be incorporated into products and services.

Market Research

Students will also learn how to:

• Identify a target audience.
• Analyze competitors.
• Determine what makes their idea different.
• Develop a unique value proposition.

Entrepreneurship

• Think through whether an idea solves a real problem.
• Develop a business concept.
• Receive feedback from mentors.
• Prepare to present the idea to an audience.

Read More: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Headlines WT Lecture Series

This new program allows teenagers to dive in and see how their business concept could evolve into a real opportunity.

Future Founders Academy Program Dates and Selection

Only 30 students will be selected for the Future Founders Academy. They will be required to meet on the WTAMU Campus on September 23, October 21, and November 9. Then, on November 11, students will have to present a live pitch and receive feedback on their ideas.

The best part of this program is that it is free to participate, and each student chosen will earn a scholarship to the WT Engler College of Business.

This is a great way to learn more about AI, share your ideas, and have a chance at a pathway to college through a scholarship.

Read More: WTAMU Shines Bright: One of the Best Valued Schools in the West

Who Can Apply

• Be a high school junior.
• Attend a public or private high school or be homeschooled.
• Live within the program's eligibility area, which covers the top 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle.

Key Dates and Deadlines

The application deadline is September 4, and students can apply here.