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Natalie Cook, the Project ECHO teacher at Charter Oak High School, returned to the Business Plan Competition in 2024 with her students. At the event, Natalie was honored with the "Chip Goodman Entrepreneurial Teacher of the Year" award.
We had the chance to ask her about her and her students' experience at this year’s competition.
Q: Congratulations on winning the Teacher of the Year award! What does winning this award mean to you?
A: Winning this award was so unexpected. It validated all the long hours working with my students to prepare them for Project ECHO.
Q: How was your and your students’ experience at the Business Plan Competition this past year?
A: My students loved the experience of sharing their business pitch with a panel of judges as well as their peers. They learned all the ups and downs of starting their own business. The competition allowed them to network with other students from schools across the Los Angeles area and learn from other groups. It is a truly memorable experience that many students talk about years after graduation.
Q: How do you think your students performed? (I was taking photos in one of the classrooms where they were presenting, and they were INCREDIBLE! It felt like I was watching an episode of Shark Tank in real life haha)
A: It is always disappointing to not win, but the students always do such a good job presenting to the judges. We work hard to ensure they are prepared to present and respond to questions at Project ECHO. They showed up and knocked it out of the park and I am so proud of them.
Q:What value do you think the Business Plan Competition adds to the overall Project ECHO program? (For example, if the program didn’t end with this capstone competition, what would the students be missing out on?)
A: The biggest takeaway for all my students over the years has been the importance of preparing for a major project pitch. They learned tangible skills like meeting deadlines, professionalism in writing, teamwork, time management, and navigating conflict. The presentations are the culmination of all their work as a group put on display to their peers which results in such a sense of pride for the students. It is really fun to see their parents come to support them and encourage them after their pitch. If the competition did not exist, it would feel like any other school project they do in the classroom. The pitch competition brings it outside the classroom and elevates their presentation skills.
I absolutely LOVE Project ECHO and they experience it provides my students. As my students prepare for the competition, I invite business partners to work with my students to provide feedback along the way, and the business partners share how impressed they are with the experience Project ECHO provides high school students. I appreciate all the hard work that is done behind the scenes to make Project ECHO happen year after year. Thank you for all you do to share the Project ECHO story!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Natalie! We love to have you and your students at Project ECHO, and we're excited to see you back at next year's competition.
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