GOAT 23 Fellowship Program

A groundbreaking Career Pathways program for high school students to deeply explore entrepreneurship, with a focus on first-generation and immigrant students, including newcomers and English Learners who may lack documentation for paid internships.

Geographic Scope: San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), CA

Focus Areas:

• Entrepreneurship and career exploration
• English language development support
• Business skill-building and innovation
• Youth leadership and decision-making

Program Details:

• GOAT stands for "Greatest of All Time"
• Intensive six-month fellowship (paid)
• Afterschool business bootcamp
• Skill-building workshops
• Professional mentorship
• Summer internships
• Students develop business plans, prototype ideas, test and iterate concepts
• Culminates in "Pitch Night" where students present business ideas to audiences
• Approximately 29 fellowship spots available per year
• Program has reached nearly 100 high school students representing more than a dozen countries and home languages

Eligibility:

• High school students
• First-generation students
• Immigrant students
• Newcomers and English Learners
• Students from vulnerable/underserved populations

Student Outcomes:

• Students develop entrepreneurial mindset and innovation skills
• Notable past participant: Dina Wu (placed 2nd at 2021 Bay Area NFTE teen entrepreneurship competition for "Weeding Bot" idea, qualified for national competition with $15,000 grand prize opportunity)
• Student-created businesses have ranged from temperature-controlled baby bottles to eco-friendly skateboards to prescription medicine delivery services

Funding History:

• Initial seed funding from Battery Foundation (2017)
• Supported by Spark SF Public Schools donors