Students Apply WV Forward Blueprint in Pitch Competition to Help Solve Economic Challenges
| WVU students honed their pitching skills while proposing recommendations on how the state can move WV Forward in the WVU LaunchLab's first pitch competition of the year. Participating students presented a two-minute pop-up pitch, which focused on a problem and a solution that applied to West Virginia Forward’s blueprint. Students’ pitches included specific ideas on how to revolutionize West Virginia's labor force through more educational and mentorship programs, bring more manufacturing jobs to the state, advance educational opportunities to retain talent in West Virginia – particularly among underrepresented populations – and create more jobs by supporting startups, entrepreneurs and small business ventures. The winner, a student in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, pitched her idea to turn brownfield sites into agricultural educational facilities. She recommended partnering with local communities and after-school programs to teach students how to produce food and learn about livestock while repurposing the land. This exercise directly aligns with WV Forward's mission of exploring the challenges presented in our blueprint and formulating plausible, real-life solutions through problem-solving, collaboration and partnerships. |