Entrepreneurs crack open door for high schoolers

Two experts gave 42 high school students a glimpse into the world of entrepreneurship at a recent outreach workshop offered by Carnegie Mellon University Qatar (CMU-Q). Professors George White and Tom Emerson led the workshop and shared their stories of turning their ideas into business successes.

"The impact of entrepreneurship is still relatively small in Qatar, but its importance to becoming a knowledge-based economy is enormous," White said. "Each year the start-up community is growing."

Students got the chance to pitch their own ideas for products such as a custom-fit clothing app, do-it-yourself mobile phone covers, an app dedicated to finding sustainable office supplies, and a combination stress reliever and water bottle.

"The range of ideas was impressive today, and coming from young people still in high school," White said. "I think students who are younger and younger are beginning to see entrepreneurship as a great career option."

CMU-Q offers a series workshops geared toward introducing students to fields such as computer science, the biological sciences, business administration and information systems.