May 1, 2026
St. John’s University hosted its first-ever Build-a-Thon on March 27, welcoming ninth- and 10th-grade students from area high schools to the Queens, NY, campus for a hands-on entrepreneurship experience.
The event, held in partnership with the Manhattan, NY, office of the national nonprofit BUILD, encouraged students to step into the role of chief executive officer of a company they designed. Teams developed prototypes, designed campaigns, and pitched their business ideas to a panel of faculty judges while volunteers guided collaboration and helped bring ideas to life.
BUILD’s mission is to equip students in under-resourced communities with the skills, mindset, and confidence to lead their own futures. The inaugural Build-a-Thon at St. John’s showcased the impact of hands-on learning as students collaborated, created, and gained confidence in their ability to turn ideas into action.
“The question is not just about your brilliance; it is about how confident you are to build something for someone you have never met,” Justin Lokossou, Student Experience Program Manager for Entrepreneurship at BUILD, told the students. “Today, we get to experience that process firsthand.”
“The goal of Build-a-Thon is to give students a space to solve problems through an entrepreneurial lens,” added Sybil Mimy Wells, Regional Executive Director, NYC and Metro DC, at BUILD. “They get to work together, innovate, and think about solutions with empathy in mind.”
The event, held at the D’Angelo Center, also introduced students to St. John’s entrepreneurial culture . “We want students to see the many entrepreneurship opportunities that exist at St. John’s,” said James M. Kinsley, M.B.A., Director of the University’s Venture & Innovation Center(VIC). “Beyond that, we hope they learn resilience, adaptability, and the value of experiential learning.”
Students quickly embraced the challenge, applying creativity and teamwork throughout the process. Shivanie Persaud, a 10th-grader from John Adams High School in Ozone Park, NY, reflected on the demands of entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurship takes a lot of thinking,” she said. “You have to be creative to know what the client wants.”
Three ninth-grade students from Bayside High School in Bayside, NY, worked together on the same team and shared reflections on the experience.
“We had to innovate ideas and then choose one to pitch,” Madilyn, one of the students, said. “It was challenging but really rewarding.”
“Brainstorming and working as a team helped us build off each other’s ideas,” Hendrix added. “Even with limited time, we were proud of our final project.”
“Being an entrepreneur is hard work, but events like this prepare us for real-world competitions and challenges,” Venus said.