
Before having my three sons, I spent my days as an elementary public school teacher fostering curiosity in my students, and championing the power of project-based learning and individualized education. But then came the three greatest teachers of my life—my sons. They humbled me with the truth about the challenges many parents face. Traditional classrooms, often centered on standardized tests and one-size-fits-all lessons, frequently left my boys unengaged and yearning for something more.
This journey led me to reimagine what learning could look like—not just for my own children but for my students as well. By leading with curiosity and truly getting to know the unique interests and extraordinary minds of my children and students, I was pushed to think beyond the confines of the system I once trusted. This shift opened the door to discovering innovative and meaningful ways to nurture their potential.
The path hasn’t always been easy, but it has been transformative. With hope, resilience, and an unshakable belief that every child deserves an education as unique as they are, I’ve found opportunities to create change that I never would have uncovered without challenging the status quo.
For my sons, and for many young people, the creative thinking and problem-solving that come from entrepreneurship can inspire and engage in ways traditional education often doesn’t.
Three Journeys
All three of my sons are so different, each with their own quirks, strengths and challenges. My oldest, now 23, is a graduate student. Even as a toddler, it was clear his creative mind needed an outlet. When he started school, he was identified as highly gifted, and throughout his life, he’s shown the same emotional and social traits that many highly gifted individuals experience. He’d dive headfirst into intricate projects, completely absorbed, but he also felt deeply frustrated in classes that stayed surface-level and didn’t give him a way to express his creativity or process in-depth thoughts.
His need for agency and authentic learning was so strong that it sometimes left him feeling sad and lacking motivation for school, especially when teachers didn’t understand just how much depth he needed to thrive. But over time, he found his way. The arts became his outlet, and now he’s a talented musician, composer, and all-around creative. Watching him grow into himself has been such a journey—it’s taught me so much about the importance of understanding and nurturing kids’ individual needs. Little did I know that an opportunity that would have been a perfect solution for my son was being developed and implemented in states on the other side of the country.

An Opportunity
The Invention Convention, created by the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, is helping over 180,000 kids nationwide bring their ideas to life while addressing exactly the kind of needs my son had growing up. By combining hands-on design thinking with critical entrepreneurship lessons—like understanding customers, conducting market research, and pitching their ideas—they learn what it’s like to be a startup entrepreneur. Students experience the success of having a great idea, experimenting, refining and conducting thorough research. And then applying practical business strategies to bring those ideas to life.
Celebrating Unique Gifts
My middle son is 21 years old, and he has given me a completely new perspective on life. When he was just 19 months old, he was diagnosed with a regressive form of autism, and that diagnosis reshaped the way I see the world. My son’s journey has been one of profound lessons—he’s taught me the beauty of seeing life through a different lens. He experiences the world in a way that’s uniquely his own, with insights and ideas that often take me by surprise.
For my middle son, entrepreneurship feels like the most natural fit. It gives him the freedom to be himself without having to conform to expectations that often don’t align with who he is. Entrepreneurship allows him to explore his creativity and talents on his own terms, focusing on what makes sense to him rather than what others think he should do. It’s about creating opportunities that fit his strengths instead of forcing him to fit into molds that were never designed for him.
The Training and Development Resources provided by the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute are helping my son learn about entrepreneurship and he is now in the process of starting the petcare business of his dreams!

More Than “Checking Boxes”
From the time he was little, my youngest son has carried a sense of responsibility well beyond his years. It was never something we pushed on him, but his deep empathy and compassion for his older brother with autism—and for others like him—has always been part of who he is. He’s a quiet observer, someone who feels the world deeply but doesn’t often share those feelings.
When he was in kindergarten, he was diagnosed as profoundly verbal and quantitatively gifted. Now a junior in high school, he’s as thoughtful and bright as ever. But like his brothers, he struggles with boredom in school, especially in classes that lack challenge, complexity or choice. While he’ll engage in project-based learning or classes that really push him, he’s grown skeptical of most new programs, assuming they won’t be fun or interesting. If you ask him about school, he’ll tell you it’s just part of the checklist—something to get through so he can do what he “really” wants to do in college. And what does he really want? To start his own business.
We’ve recently discovered ASU’s Universal Learning Courses, which are flexible and affordable ways to earn first and second-year college credits online. With ULCs, my son has found a way to gain valuable college experience and credit for a fraction of the cost, paying only when he passes the course. The business classes through ULC paired with the Training and Development Resources available through ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute seem to be built for kids like him. They give students of all ages a space to turn their passions into real-world solutions, teaching them the mindset and skills they’ll need to become tomorrow’s inventors, business leaders, and changemakers.

Empowering Entrepreneurs from Kindergarten to Graduate School and Beyond
At Arizona State University, the entrepreneurial journey can start long before college graduation. Students have the opportunity to take their ideas and inventions to the next level, no matter their major. ASU offers a range of projects and initiatives across the university, along with access to free, curated entrepreneurship resources.
Whether participating in the K-12 Invention Convention Arizona—or tapping into the entrepreneurial ecosystem at ASU, opportunities are abundant for our Arizonan youth to discover their own passion and purpose. Programs like these, with their focus on innovation and creativity, are setting the stage for Arizona to lead the way in fostering the next generation of leaders and changemakers. They’re giving students of all ages the chance to engage, explore, grow, and make a real impact.
If you’re interested in becoming part of the Invention Convention Arizona, whether as a K-12 youth participant, a judge for our regional or state conventions or a business sponsor, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at: [email protected]
For more information about the incredible offerings at the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, visit: entrepreneurship.asu.edu