High Schoolers Can Earn Scholarships, Learn Valuable AI Skills in New WT Offering

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - High school juniors can design artificial intelligence products and services and earn a scholarship to West Texas A&M University in a new hands-on initiative launching this fall.

Application deadline is Sept. 4 for the new Future Founders Academy through WT's Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business.

The program is open exclusively to juniors enrolled in any public or private high school or homeschool in the top 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle. To apply, visit bit.ly/wtfuturefounders.

There is no cost to participate. For information, contact Dr. Andrew Li, the Williams Professor of Management, at [email protected] or 806-651-2496.

Thirty selected students will take part in on-campus sessions in the fall: Sept. 23, Oct. 21 and Nov. 9, culminating in a live pitch competition Nov. 11.

Participating students will learn how to use AI to craft innovative business concepts and write code. Engler College faculty and students will serve as mentors, teaching students the fundamentals of market research, including how to identify target audiences, analyze competitors and develop a unique value proposition for their products.

"AI is transforming the global business landscape, and we want our local students to be at the forefront of this revolution," said Dr. Amjad Abdullat, dean. "There has never been a better time for young, innovative minds to start creating and selling AI-related products and services. The Future Founders Academy is designed to give them the exact tools, confidence, and mentorship they need to turn their ideas into a reality."

Students will have the opportunity to get real-world feedback on campus, and all participating students will earn a scholarship to WT's Engler College of Business.

"We are invested in local talent and in building a new generation of business leaders across the Panhandle," Abdullat said.

Addressing regional needs is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

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