Student Spotlight: Leila Pedreros

Meet Leila Pedreros, our featured student of the month. Leila is a Senior at Crossroads Preparatory Academy, and has participated in a MECA Challenge, the CommunityAmerica Credit Union Virtual Innovation Internship and COVID-19 Pitch Competition, and our Social Change Internship. Leila’s drive to solve local and global problems with an entrepreneurial mindset is beyond inspiring. We took a moment to chat with Leila about her experience with Startland, and how the skills she has learned will help her in future projects and her career.

How did you first get involved with Startland?

Leila: I got involved with Startland for the first time over a year ago in the pandemic. I had done a MECA Challenge in person, and in the summer when everything was shut down, my school shared CommunityAmerica’s 8-week innovation internship for college and high school students in partnership with Startland.

Before joining these programs, how much did you know about entrepreneurship?

Leila: I knew about entrepreneurship before Startland; it was something I wanted to be a part of, even as a kid. I wanted to have my own business, something as silly as a childhood idea of a “solution store”, with easy fixes and solutions for anything and everything. Now I want to have my own coffee shop. It’s something I’ve considered and have worked on at school.

What inspired you to take the path of entrepreneurship?

Leila: My dad is an entrepreneur, always working on some project or business, so it’s something I grew up seeing. Startland has helped me explore different opportunities and ideas in ways I never thought of, especially because I really enjoy helping others, and this last Social Change Internship has really helped me realize some of the different ways to help others. I would dream of having my own business as a kid, and now it evolved to wanting to own my own coffee shop one day. It's something I have been thinking about for a while and keeping in mind as something to work towards.

What do you think you've learned from your experiences with Startland that you wouldn't have learned in school?

Leila: I think that Startland has helped teach me to think outside the box, and to pitch my ideas to potential investors and panels of judges, whether it’s an app to help teen volunteers, an app to help teens who need tutoring in this pandemic, a subscription box to help kids and parents at home in this pandemic, a project-based innovative course to teach students entrepreneurship and innovation skills, or legislation to restrict smoking around minors because it can cause significant health issues later in life.

How have these programs impacted you?

Leila: Startland has helped me grow in ways I never thought I would consider! I have made friends with students all over KC and Startland’s events have helped me feel less isolated staying at home during quarantine. I have gotten more comfortable with pitching and presenting thanks to being involved in many of Startland’s Events.

How do you think these experiences will help you in the future?

Leila: I think that my experiences with Startland will stay with me in other projects and challenges I take on. I have already learned a lot about presenting and preparation than I did before, and I am much more comfortable networking and making professional connections thanks to exposure at Startland’s events. I definitely enjoy working with groups and with other people, so meeting new people (thanks to Startland) has helped me realize it. It also helped me connect with new friends that I have stayed connected with that I never would have met otherwise. 

Can you tell me about a project you’re most proud of?

Leila: It’s hard to pick one that I am most proud of because I am proud of a lot of my projects. But I am extremely proud of my most recent project I worked on through Startland’s Social Change Internship! I am so excited about the work we are doing to bring awareness to the dangers of smoking around minors, especially in enclosed spaces or vehicles. I am proud of how far we’ve come in so little time because I had no idea that when we were going to work on this that we would pick up this much support so fast. Quit Kids Smoking has been an amazing project so far and I’m excited to see how we will grow with more support over time. I am also really proud of TutorMe, an app idea developed and pitched at MECA Explore 2020 to help the struggling teens that have suffered from a year of virtual school with no in-person lessons and are lacking resources to learn in this strange environment. It was something that reflected our own need for the time back with teachers for extended help and easy, affordable access to tutors when teachers are not available.

Why do you think more students should participate in Startland programs?

Leila: I think that the more the community supports Startland’s Programs, more of these amazing opportunities can be available to students all over. And I would absolutely recommend students be involved in at least one innovative event like the ones Startland does. I was required to do it once and haven’t stopped since. I have now participated in 6 innovative events, most of them MECA’s put on by Startland. Its something that creates a unique experience and amazing learning environments for students.

To find out more about Startland educational programming and how to get involved, click here.