PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Students from seven Aroostook County high schools traveled to the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday to participate in the 14th annual Junior Achievement of Maine–Titan Challenge, a statewide business simulation competition that pits hundreds of Maine high school students against one another.
Students from Caribou dominated the competition. A team from the Caribou Regional Technology Center beat out every other team in Maine to win first place in the state, while a trio of Caribou High School students became the regional winner.
Caribou Tech’s Alex Bouchard, Cullin Caverhill and Brian Newell beat out more than 120 teams across Maine to win a top scholarship prize from Junior Achievement of Maine. Students from Presque Isle Regional Career and Tech Center, Fort Kent High School, Hodgdon High School and Presque Isle High School also participated in the competition.
Students spent the first hours of the day learning about financial information like marketing, research and capital investment, before putting these skills to the test. Over seven rounds, students did their best to successfully develop and market a fictitious video conference handheld device.
Students from Presque Isle participate in the Titan Challenge at University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday. (David Marino Jr. | The Star-Herald)
Several mentors from local businesses aided students as they virtually ran a business over the day, navigating a virtual marketplace and facing many of the same hurdles that entrepreneurs face in the real world.
Trios of students worked diligently with their mentors at the university’s Campus Center. Each group crowded around a laptop, on which they competed with others statewide. Though the atmosphere in the room was somewhat serious, with each group deep into competition mode, students appeared to enjoy the experience and shared a few laughs.
The local campus was one of seven locations in which students participated in the challenge. Junior Achievement officials said that 2020’s event featured 375 students and over 100 mentors, from Portland to Presque Isle.
Junior Achievement of Maine President Michelle Anderson said that the competition is not only about educating students, but to help them as they pursue future careers and provide them the ability to network with paired mentors.
“I think the beauty of this program is that it takes learning outside of the classroom,” Anderson said. “They get to network, practicing their soft skills as well as their leadership and critical thinking skills, by running a business for the day.”
