About GWI > Mission
Ignite your Future with the GWI Business Academy
Spring Enrollment Now Closed. Fall enrollments will open in September.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has partnered with Girls with Impact to offer MCPS young women in grades 9-12 a FREE 10-week course in business and leadership.
Bring an idea to life in ten-weeks. Through our live, online classes — led by your dedicated business instructor -- we help you find your passion and guide you to build your dream project, provide awesome networking, and arm you with the know-how and gain the confidence to make things happen
Developed with Harvard leaders, our ‘mini-MBA’ program equips girls with the skills, knowledge and confidence to become the leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.
About the GWI Innovation Academy
Program Details
Develop a venture idea (no idea, no problem!)
10 1-hour classes + 9 activities = a lifetime of success
Live and online - small classes led by expert instructors
Access instructors 1:1 as needed
Classes evenings (from where ever you are!)
Access all materials and class recordings online
Graduation ceremony and certificate
Why Join?
Set yourself apart
Boost your confidence
Build leadership and public speaking skills
Innovate and make an impact
It's flexible - attend from anywhere!
How To Leverage It?
How to Leverage Your GWI Experience:
Make it your Capstone or Community Service Requirement
Top extra-curricular in college applications
Incorporate into college essay, scholarship applications
Show initiative in college/internship interviews
Boost your resume
Hear from MCPS Students
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One of lessons I learned was not about how you can make profit but about what you can do for the community. I will take that with me into college and for the rest of my life. That is why Unicart aims to empower students to prioritize their wellbeing and academics without sacrificing anything.
Elisha, Quince Orchard High School
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Through this program, I have been able to better understand budgeting and what is involved and considered when creating a venture. I learned how the key components of budgeting include estimating income from various sources, tracking fixed and variable costs, and planning for contingencies.
Hana, Northwest High School
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I really enjoyed when my coach would relate the business material to her own business and also widely known businesses, it was very engaging. I also really enjoyed coming up with the business ideas in the beginning.
Zoe, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
What You Learn & Create
We have created a robust and detailed program that covers a wide range of business topics and objectives.
FAQs
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Below are the steps a student will go through:
1 - Reserve a place – students fill in a short form and complete checkout with or without provided scholarship code to reserve their place
2 - Introduction - Students recieve class information 2 weeks prior to the session start date
3 - Attend Classes Online – Students meet for a live, engaging online class led by their coach
4 - Updates - Students and Parents are updated with course status throughout the 5 or 10-weeks of live classes
5 - Graduation - Students and their guests are invited to join a graduation event, live-online. Students are emailed digital certificates of completion.
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Select your Start Date & Time from the product above
Fill out a 3-5-minute enrollment form
Click cart - upper right-hand corner
Mark your calendar!
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The Innovation Academy: we should be specific
"The live, online academy program consists of 9 live classes.
Our summer live, online academy is 5 weeks"
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A computer with internet access, smart device / Ipad to join the weekly live classes via video conference
A computer with internet access to be able to complete the weekly assignments
Webcam on the computer is preferable but not absolutely necessary
A quiet place to attend class each week
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30 girls max. This allows us to have an engaging class with a powerful back-and-forth exchange
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They are:
Professionals experienced in entrepreneurship and business
Hold an MBA and/or other related degrees
Excited and committed to help young women succeed
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Yes, standards are:
Respect for others – listen without interruption and respond to communications within a 24-hour time period
Attendance – Attend class on time and at the specified times
No distractions — No eating or texting during class
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Girls With Impact has two Mentorship programs available for all graduates after they complete the Academy Program. Student may opt into either of these programs at any time. See here for additional details on our mentorship programs.
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Students must either attend, or watch the recordings, for ALL classes. The program is structured so that each class builds on the next and missing a class would result in key components of the program being missed.
We provide students with bite-sized pre-recorded modules of each session within their Google Classroom course shell. If they have missed a class or expect to miss a class they can keep up with session by watching these modules.
If a student is not going to be present for a live class, please inform your coach in advance.
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Our program is referred to a “mini-MBA” because we educate girls on many concepts learned in a true MBA program. Our program also includes many personal development learnings.
To view our curriculum overview, go here.
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We say 2 hours a week for a lifetime of success.
Classes are 50-60 minutes each.
Weekly exercises or “BringBacks” to move your project forward take about 1 hour.
The entire program is 10 weeks. Live classes are weekly for 9 weeks.
Note – summer program is 5 weeks total (2 classes/week for 5 weeks, 4 hours/week commitment).