OCTC Early College Student Makes Finals for KY Pitch

Vote for "People's Choice" Video April 2-9

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (04/01/2021) — Bailey McDaniel didn't initially see herself as an entrepreneur. But a pre-COVID group project in Jon Richard's Government and Economics class her sophomore year at Owensboro Innovation Academy is being reinvigorated as a possible non-profit organization. The class was divided into groups and they were asked to come up with a new business and detail some unique services and branding concepts. But there was something in that idea that sparked McDaniel's entrepreneurial spirit.

Fast forward to February 2021. McDaniel is now considered a high school junior, is attending Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) as a freshman early college student and was selected to participate in the Hager Scholars Program. She also works part-time at a local eatery.

Hager Scholars are encouraged to develop and pursue projects related to their career interests, which provides them with an enhanced and individualized educational opportunity.

"Hager Scholars select a designated honors course each semester and they work closely with their instructor to design a project that is challenging, engaging, and rewarding. Bailey is an exceptional student and she found the perfect opportunity to channel her passion and energy in Dr. Glenn's Basic Public Speaking course. When Dr. Glenn suggested that Bailey participate in KY Pitch as her project for the semester, she couldn't wait to get started" added Dr. Angela Ash, faculty advisor for the Hager Scholars program.

Dr. Glenn, who teaches communication and advises the Speech & Debate Society and business Professor Michael Boyd, actively encourage student participation in KY Pitch and have a history of helping students succeed.

Glenn added, " The experience for students is life and career changing. Competing in this type of format mimics a real-world scenario. Our students have consistently placed or earned top awards, based on their ideas. We (Boyd and Glenn) help them fine tune their presentation skills." OCTC Communication Professor and Advisor for students who are interested in KY Pitch.

Cafe du Chat is McDaniel's vision of a coffee house featuring the opportunity to adopt rescue kittens and adult cats. Her mission statement for the cafe, "to help find orphaned cats a "furrever" family that will love and care for them!"

KY Pitch is a statewide competition designed to inspire our innovators and entrepreneurs by providing an inclusive platform for our future leaders to develop and pursue their ideas. College students are given an opportunity to pitch their business or idea stage concept to a large audience composed of investors, community leaders, and the public.

There are two divisions in KY Pitch an "exploratory track" for those with a concept, or a "developed" track for those with a more advanced plan or a current start-up. Those selected for the finalist competition must submit an 8-10 minute video summarizing their project and its importance, and a two minute People's Choice video submission. McDaniel was selected as a finalist in the exploratory track division. Winners are rewarded with prize money and business support.

Growing up, McDaniel was always surrounded by family pets. While she admits to being a huge animal lover, she is partial to cats, and they seem partial to her, "I am the 'cat momma' of the house, they always want my attention. That's partially why I want to establish a business where people can be in a family-friendly environment with felines. The ultimate goal is to enhance the community with a business that also helps reduce the number of cats in shelters."

Dr. Ash made the KY Pitch connection for McDaniel to Dr. Glenn, who also had McDaniel as a student in his communications course. McDaniel added "Dr. Glenn's knowledge and experience brought forth an opportunity that I had never heard of before. I then knew that this cat cafe is something I want to pursue in the next few years."

The 2021 KY Pitch Final Event will be virtual, but not live. A panel of judges will review the submissions and select the winners based on a pre-determined rubric. Winners will be announced on Friday, April 16.

All this has only strengthened McDaniel's determination to continue her education after completing her associate degree at OCTC. She would like to earn a bachelor's degree in Business Administration or in Entrepreneurship. She hasn't made a final selection but is interested in Kentucky Wesleyan College's Scholars Academy, Bellarmine University, the University of Louisville, Murray State University, Western Kentucky University and the University of Southern Indiana.

OCTC President Dr. Scott Williams commented, "We are so proud to have another finalist in KY Pitch. We want to give the community the opportunity to show their support for young entrepreneurship by voting for Bailey's video."

Learn more about the Cafe du Chat by watching McDaniel's submission for the People's Choice video and vote for her starting Friday, April 2nd at 11:00 a.m. CST, at www.KYPitch.com. Voting is limitless - and the video submission earning the most votes will be awarded $1,000. Live voting will end on April 9th.

For more information on the Hager Scholars program please contact Dr. Angela Ash at angela.ash@kctcs.edu.

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