The race is on for the People's Choice Award with Youth Entrepreneurs (YE), and Chinook High School senior Cord Schneider is one of the candidates. Public voting ends April 26 at 11:59 p.m. CST and the winner will be announced on May 1.

The People's Choice Award winner will receive an automatic ticket to compete at the YE Summit in Detroit, Michigan, on July 15-19 alongside the Big Idea Start-Up Challenge top ten finalists. YE judges select the top ten business plans, with an eleventh person getting to attend the Summit as the People's Choice Winner. Each pitch has its own link to share with family and friends to rack up those votes. Anyone wishing to vote for Schneider and his business idea can do so by logging in to https://youthentrepreneurs.submittable.com/gallery/ and locating his Mega Fab business or by using one of several links on Facebook.

In 1991, two entrepreneurs in Wichita, Kansas, observed a need in their local high schools for more hands-on learning. Charles and Liz Koch funneled their entrepreneurial passion into a platform where students could gain the skills and confidence to pursue productive, fulfilling lives. According to their website, YE began as an eight-week program, eventually expanding into a year-long, accredited course and experiential adventure for students in high school.

Chinook High School Vocational Education Instructor Robin Allen is part of a YE pilot program. Since attending training in Topeka, Kansas, in July 2018, she has integrated the YE business concepts in her Senior Ag project course.

"Montana is doing a pilot program to see if YE will work here since it originated in more urban areas. We have about five teachers across the state in Family Consumer Science, Ag, and Business, as well as extension agents who are part of the pilot program," Allen explained.

The curriculum of a YE classroom focuses on the application of an idea – an idea students can own. It brings business studies to life through experiential learning, executed in market-based scenarios. Given that focus, YE ignites a passion for entrepreneurship and provides the practical experience necessary to apply it to real life situations.

YE equips young people with the values and vision to pursue their dreams. By changing the mindsets of young people so that they believe in themselves and what they can accomplish, the experiential education model instills entrepreneurial and economic principles built for prosperity. It inspires students to overcome barriers and to seize opportunities.

In Detroit, the 2019 YE Summit will bring together over 300 YE alumni where they will connect with community leaders, entrepreneurial innovators, and partner organizations from across the nation. This week-long event will focus on students' immersion in innovation, entrepreneurship, personal transformation, and self-actualization in the backdrop of a city experiencing the same. New this year will be the addition of a Partnership Expo, connecting students to engagement opportunities such as mentorships, internships, scholarships and professional development.

Schneider hopes that his Mega Fab business, a custom bumper business in rural Montana where there are a number of animal vehicle mishaps, will either be the judge's pick or the people's choice so that he can attend the Summit this July. With his business, he targets people who travel in deer populated areas and are looking to protect their vehicles. He customizes his bumpers to a person's interest, purpose, and cost. Appealing and durable, one of his metal fabricated vehicle bumpers won the Best of Show rosette at the 70th Annual Montana Seed Show.

Anyone interested in a bumper can contact Schneider by calling 406-301-3305 or by emailing Cordschneider773@gmail.com.