Social Innovation Award Finalist Prepares Students For Real-Life Work

Teach For America's annual Social Innovation Award competition is designed to spark bold and innovative solutions that expand opportunities for students in underserved communities. As a finalist, Monique Nunnally (Metro Atlanta ’15) will be able to compete for seed funding and professional coaching designed to maximize the impact of her venture Bizzie Teen, a platform that connects businesses and teachers so they can partner on course content that is relevant to the modern workplace.

Monique recently did a short Q&A with One Day Magazine about Bizzie Teen. 

What problem are you trying to solve?

We have outdated, irrelevant curricula in classrooms. Students aren't college- and career-ready when they leave high school, and in college, they feel underprepared and inadequate, like they’re not supposed to be there.

What’s your big idea?

We provide a platform to connect businesses and teachers so they can partner on relevant course content. Businesses give writing tasks to teachers on our platform. We make the tasks teacher friendly. Teachers pick them up from our platform and deliver relevant content to students. Students can experience what somebody wants them to do in real life. With more skills and exposure to career opportunities and relationships, they'll be more successful.

Your advice to other innovators?

In education, we often choose to help one stakeholder, usually the teacher, student, or parent. It’s easier, but it’s not enough to support the needs of our students. Prioritize which stakeholder to talk to first, but know that you have to think through all of the stakeholders at the table.

To learn more about the other finalists, check out the full article.