Who We Are
Our Purpose
Teen Innovators is a peer community experience where students ages 11-16 practice creative and innovative thinking through flexible mentoring and leadership classes that are led by teens for teens. TI Students learn to think strategically, solve big world problems and lead their peers with confidence. TI Students and Peer Mentors grow alongside each other and learn life skills that provide a foundation for success as a purpose-driven leader of tomorrow.
About Us
We are passionate about instilling the drive, determination, and desire for tomorrow’s leaders to thrive. Teen Innovators was founded with the understanding that the leaders of tomorrow are writing their own playbook. It all starts with demonstrating the ability to ideate, owning the opportunity to fail, knowing how to get back up, and having the drive to get back in the game.
We are a team of entrepreneurs with kids, accomplished business executives and Rockstar teenage mentors committed to inspiring young leaders through our innovative and fun learning experiences. Our mentor sessions, multi-platform learning, business pitch programs and startlingly fresh and effective leadership skill presentations are all part of the monthly TI program.
What Can I Expect?
TI Students can expect:
- Exposure to real-world challenges faced by successful businesspeople;
- Participation in ideation sessions in a group and mentor-mentee sessions;
- To develop the aptitude to verbalize ideas succinctly and share feedback constructively;
- To listen and participate in dozens of live and streamed leadership classes on anything from Persuasive Communication to Opinion Writing to Overcoming Procrastination to Influencer Marketing.
Students get to choose 1 on 1 or group sessions with a peer mentor of their choosing. Your peer mentor takes the time to understand your interests and helps you choose an issue or business problem to address. You work together for a couple of sessions and then, if you?d like, you can get matched with an expert mentor who will listen to your ideas and help you shape them into a solution or product idea. The best ideas get the opportunity be in our 2-Minute Pitch and win exciting recognition and prizes.
Christine Hutchison,
Executive Director and Founder
Our Founder
Our Staff
Kate Szczudlo
Manager of Curriculum & Training
Kate teaches English and coaches the speech team at Reavis High School. Her passions include parenting her three children, unleashing creativity, and amplifying the voices of young people.
“Speak your truth even if your voice shakes.”
–Maggie Kuhn
Tara Pendleton
Manager of Curriculum & Training
Tara is a Business Teacher and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) adviser at Normal Community High School. Her educational ideal is to support youth as they pursue their own passions and achieve their personal excellence – whatever shape that may take.
Ashley Villarreal
Community Web Manager
Ashley is focused on all things creative, human connectivity, and finding solutions to help create community bonding. She has worked and designed campaigns for some of the largest tech companies such as LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Marketo. She’s a proud alumni of Webster University ’15 and obtains a B.F.A degree with an emphasis in graphic design and communications. She’s inspired by all the great legends currently in our society.
“We should always have three friends in our lives. One who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way.” -Michelle Obama
These Peer Mentors are also proud Teen Innovator Staff
Eden K.
Marketing
Ellison N.
Marketing
Kate B.
Brand Ambassador
Nellie G.
Communications
Jessica C.
Communications
Abla A.
Communications
Oliver S.
Communications
Natalia Z.
Communications
Zachery B
Marketing
Nicole C.
Curriculum and Training
Quinn W.
Curriculum and Training