Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship holds annual 'Shark Tank' competition

Excitement was buzzing in the auditorium of the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship on March 10 as the school held its fifth annual Shark Tank event.

The event dubbed “Soaring Shark Tank” strives to give young entrepreneurs the experience of pitching their businesses to receive investments to help further their careers.

“We want to give students in the greater Pittsburgh area the ability to reach their potential to receive investment and mentorship,” said Debra Titus, PHCSE’s entrepreneurial education coach.

A panel of five judges listened to five students pitch their ideas. Judges asked questions after each presentation.

A diverse array of ideas were presented, from a beauty kit business to a writer looking to help tell other people’s stories. The young entrepreneurs had something different to offer, giving judges a difficult decision of who to choose as the top three winners.

“This was not an easy task,” Mel Washington, chief audit officer and CRA officer of Tristate Capital Bank, said to the crowd as he revealed the winners:

• Sierra Fisher, a PHCSE 8th grader, wanted to invest in a fidget workshop to expand on her fidget spinner kit business. The workshop would help people suffering from anxiety feel more confident in challenging situations.

• Trinity Booker, Rakiya Floyd and Joi Lavender, PHCSE 7th graders, started a business called “Beauty Belle & Nails” to help give younger girls access to beauty supplies and care.

• Kasia Cunningham, Gateway Middle School 8th grader, owns “Kosmo Galore.” She wanted to upgrade her business to be able to release more products.

• Aaliyah “Lili” Taylor, a PHCSE 8th grader, wrote a book based on her experience of being bullied and how it has become a problem. She wrote “A Girl in the Shadows,” aimed to help people her age improve their self-esteem and learn to appreciate who they are.

• Shawn Moorefield Jr., a PHCSE 8th grader, started “SJ Cares,” an initiative that provides care packages to those in need and are suffering from homelessness.

Titus said all the presentations brought her to tears.

“When they can see what they’re doing has an impact, that to me is the cherry on top,” she said.

Keynote speaker and 2021 Shark Tank winner Jazmiere Bates gave a speech of encouragement to contestants. She owns Kin of Duncan, which is in eight stores around the Pittsburgh area.

“If you do not win today, please don’t get discouraged. Your time will come,” she said.

Taylor won first place for her idea of writing and publishing a book based on a collection of people’s experiences with bullying. Cunningham placed second and Moorefield Jr. placed third.

During her entrepreneurial journey, Taylor sold 600 books and has received five-star reviews on her book.

“I was in shock,” Taylor said as she held her $1,500 winning check. “I’ll be able to buy more books and invest in my future one.”

Those who did not win appreciated the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and bet on themselves.

“We want to keep doing things like this because it wasn’t so bad presenting,” Floyd.

Fisher felt overwhelmed going up in front of people to talk, but she was happy to gain the experience of pitching for the first time.

“It was very overwhelming, but you have to face your fears,” she said.