What I Learned From the Next Generation of Leaders and Entrepreneurs

Society’s most vexing problems aren’t solely being solved by adults. Young people, too, are stepping up with creative solutions. Nowhere was this clearer than at the final round of the Changemaker Challenge Lab? last month at T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington.??

Chosen from among 203 applications from across the United States, three teams of young entrepreneurs presented innovative solutions to some of the most pressing and under-resourced challenges facing our nation and connected world. These 13- to 18-year-olds pitched their projects to leaders from T-Mobile and Ashoka, an organization dedicated to promoting social entrepreneurship.??

The exchange of knowledge was not a one-way street. I learned as much from the changemakers as they did from T-Mobile mentors, who worked alongside the three category winners and 12 finalist teams by helping them sharpen their skills and self-confidence.??

The finalists reminded me of some important life lessons.??

Taking ownership and feeling empowered frees you to accomplish anything you set your mind to. With these guiding principles, each Changemaker team identified a problem in their community and the wider world, then used their unique passions and intelligent minds to deliver creative solutions that shatter the status quo.?

Seizing opportunities can make a positive difference in others’ lives. Regardless of age, subject-matter expertise or place in your career or education journey, each of us is capable of effecting positive change.?

Lifelong learning is foundational to success. In the classroom, boardroom or everyday life, developing broad interests and passions, and embracing a growth mindset, exposes you to new learning environments. It also leads to unimaginable personal and professional rewards.??

I owe a lot of my professional success to my father and older sisters, whose wisdom, example and mentorship raised the bar for what I saw as possible through hard work and optimism.??

Even today, my dad’s words still hold true: “You are you, be you. Do what you want to do.” His guidance is the reason I like to say: “You are the CEO of your own career. Not your manager — you.” Indeed, changemakers really are the captains of their ship, the CEOs of their career.?

During their four-minute pitches and Q&A time with the judges, each category-winning team explained the purpose behind their altruistic pursuits.??

Rashmi Alawani and Shria Halkoda are the co-founders of Tobelli, which won the Thriving Planet category. They discovered a clever way to preserve food while reducing single-use plastic waste: salvaging tobacco plants, particularly the stalks, by extracting their cellulose to create biodegradable food packaging.??

Equity in Action winner MiSendero (Spanish for “my path”) turned the tables on a perceived weakness to one of untapped potential. Spanish-speaking immigrants and first-time English learners at Southern California high schools fill the gap in conversational tutoring with their English-speaking peers. In doing so, they’re removing barriers that prevent immigrant students from experiencing school activities and developing new friendships.?

For Safe Teens Online, the youth-led nonprofit is combating cyber bullying and online threats with curriculum that teaches teenagers about digital safety best practices. The Digital Empowerment winner distributes peer-to-peer curriculum virtually through school clubs and youth ambassadors in the U.S., Puerto Rico and around the world.?

All three teams — Tobelli, MiSendero and Safe Teens Online — each won $10,000, and the grand prize of an additional $5,000 in prize money. The $15,000 in seed funding is key to each team scaling their projects and moving closer to realizing the potential of what began as a novel idea or solution. But while we celebrate these budding entrepreneurs for their vision and promise, there is something to be said about the challenges that lie ahead, and lingering questions.?

How each team rises to the challenge and overcomes mistakes to reach solutions will test not only their methodology and growth strategy, but also their mettle. These are formative experiences that crisscross each young leader’s personal and professional endeavors, and I can’t wait to see where that drive takes them.?

Applicant, finalist or grand prize winner, Changemakers share a commonality: They step up with alternative solutions and fresh perspectives to problems affecting our society, the environment and technology we use every day.??

Like many, I am excited to see these individuals flourish as they continue to do good in their communities. This next generation of entrepreneurs and problem-solvers gives me — and I hope all of us — confidence in our nation’s bright future.?

They are the real influencers.?