To Teach Through Experience Those Who Strive to Make Their Communities Better Places to Live
StandWatch Academy is Back with a New Mission
A New Mission
Changing the Paradigm
Teach Students How to See American Opportunity and Monetize Degrees in History, Economics, Political Science, and the Liberal Arts
History & Liberal Arts
As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, our courses reintroduce a positive, shared history to a new generation of young Americans and encourage them to engage with others about the importance of historical literacy.
Monetize Liberal Arts Degrees
Entrepreneurship education is often wasted on business majors. Through a proven process based on design thinking, SWA helps students with degrees in History, Economics, English, and other Creative Arts learn how to make a living doing the things they love.
Civics and Government
Government has defined nearly every aspect of our lives for decades. We help students discover how government works through internships and networking opportunities.
“Shakespeare wasn’t an engineer, Mozart wasn’t a STEM major, and Thomas Jefferson knew nothing of the Internet, yet few would argue that these men wasted their lives pursuing irrelevant careers.”
How the Course Works
The Process
01
Applications
We work with educators and institutions to identify mature and exceptional students. After a rigorous selection process, we select the best candidates for in-person interviews to make sure they are a good fit for the program.
02
Classes
After selecting the best candidates, students work through a proven design thinking curriculum where they identify a business opportunity that is relevant to their field of study and test their idea for its viability.
04
Launch
With ideas validated, students go through the necessary steps to launch their business or projects.
03
Expeditions
As part of their research, the students conduct field trips and educational travel expeditions where they meet with mentors, and see how people who share their interests have found success.
Success
Guiding students through life-changing educational experiences
100+
students
50+
mentors
20
states
8000+
air miles
10k+
road miles
24
cities
The Documentary
In 2019, StandWatch Academy was fortunate enough to partner with Marshall University and eight interns from the school of journalism and the art & design programs joined me for a six month project. After a series of meetings and some serious fundraising, those interns filmed a documentary. Three separate camera crews followed the high school students from start to finish as they worked their way through the program. I took the footage and edited it into a one hour film that had a theatrical premier and was aired on WV Public Broadcasting several times. The film was called Unwritten. The entire film can be viewed here.
Testimonials
What Our Students and Their Parents Said…
Excellent
Students learn how to think and develop greater analytical skills than most adults.
★★★★★
Parent
Transformational
After taking this course, my son is proud of who he is, where he’s from and has a renewed faith in the future.
★★★★★
Parent
Unlike Anything I have Ever Done
This course changed my life.
★★★★★
Student