Baldwin High School Competes in Adelphi University’s Annual Apprentice Challenge

Baldwin High School Global Business & Entrepreneurship Academy students recently competed in the annual Apprentice Challenge at Adelphi University. This year's competition brought together 240 students from 32 different schools. Baldwin celebrated a significant achievement as two of its students, Gavin Sparks and Valentina Colmenares Delatorre, earned spots on teams that advanced to the final competition round. While neither student's team claimed the ultimate Apprentice title, their advancement to the finals represents exceptional performance and valuable learning experience that will benefit them throughout their academic and professional careers.

“The Apprentice Challenge is an event where students from the Global Business and Entrepreneurship Academy step outside their comfort zone, work collaboratively with students from local schools, and strengthen their presentation skills through a real-life challenge,” said Mr. Gregg Kelley, business teacher at Baldwin High School who was also present and oversaw the learning experience. This was Mr. Kelley’s 11th year attending the challenge.

Baldwin High School made a notable impression during this year’s competition, presenting ten dedicated students from the Global Business and Entrepreneurship Academy. Eager to confront new challenges, these students seized the opportunity to expand their professional horizons.

Upon arrival, students were strategically placed into diverse teams with peers from different schools. This intentional mixing encouraged participants to step beyond their comfort zones, fostering the development of essential communication and teamwork skills while working alongside unfamiliar classmates.

The experience mirrors real-world business environments where professionals must quickly adapt and collaborate with new team members. Industry professionals, including Dr. Murat Sakir Erogul, the associate dean from the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi, and Peter Purpura, vice president of Business Development for Jovia Financial Credit Union and an Adelphi graduate, presented this year's challenge.

Students were tasked with creating an innovative marketing plan to help Jovia attract younger customers to choose credit unions over traditional big-name banks. This real-world problem gave students the opportunity to apply their business knowledge to current market challenges. Teams had just one hour to brainstorm, strategize, and develop comprehensive marketing plans. Despite the tight timeline, the quality and creativity of the student presentations were remarkable.

The 25 teams were distributed across 5 separate rooms, with each room producing one winning team following rigorous evaluation. After an anticipation-filled lunch break, all participants gathered in the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center to find out who won.

Valentina Colmenares Delatorre, who was participating for the second time, reflected on her experience. “Getting thrown into a situation where you have limited time to create a marketing plan has taught me a lot, the most important being that you can't always do everything yourself. Working with your team and collaborating with different ideas will always get you further.” 

Gavin Sparks echoed her sentiment. “I had a great experience at the Apprentice Challenge,” he said. “It was great to get the opportunities to network with new people interested in similar things to me and it was great to experience working on a real-world challenge.”

This story also appeared in the Baldwin Herald >>