Published:
Central hosted the Junior Achievement Innovation Challenge 2025 on March 7 at Hilltop Café, bringing together approximately 75 students across 16 teams from Connecticut high schools. Participating schools included Terryville, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, and Torrington high schools.
The event featured a lineup of faculty experts guiding students through sessions on rapid business plan development. Professor Mike Nicastro delivered opening remarks on entrepreneurship and AI, and Associate professors of Management & Organization Tom Morgan and Keshab Acharya led interactive sessions designed to help students refine their business ideas.
A panel of faculty members served as judges, including Dr. Beth Merenstein, Dr. Hyoun-Sook Lim, Dr. Decorti Rodgers-Tonge, and Dr. Peiyao Chen, who provided feedback and selected the top teams. Dr. Dana Wilkie and Dr. Richard Zhang also took part, offering support throughout the day.
Central students played a vital role as mentors, aiding teams with their pitches. Student mentors included Caden Gallager, Phoebe Kavanaugh, Connor Cavanaugh, Jacob Moot, Peter Taweh, Mariana Pizarro Ayala, Nhu Nguyen, Reggie Darkah, and Sarah Tangarife.
The competition’s theme, “AI Applications: Turning Ideas into Impact,” inspired a range of innovative business ideas. Terryville High School Teams A and B secured first and second place, while Manchester and New Britain High Schools tied for third. All winning teams will receive cash prizes from Junior Achievement, with Terryville High School Team A advancing to the state-level competition.
Image
