Innovation and Purpose: IMPACT Camp

In today’s competitive job market, employers are increasingly seeking applicants with proven creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and leadership skills.  

Taylor University’s Cornwall School of Business and Leadership recognizes this and cultivates these high-demand skills through curriculum and learning opportunities. IMPACT Camp is one immersive experience for rising high school juniors and seniors, hosted by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) each summer.  

During IMPACT Camp, students address real world issues and develop business ideas to meet those needs. They collaborate with one another and their Taylor student peer mentors to research and build their concepts. At the end of the week, they pitch their ventures to a panel of judges.  

“IMPACT Camp is a way for students to apply innovation and entrepreneurship skills as a form of leadership development,” explained Kyra Zylstra, CIE Operations Manager.  

 

IMPACT Camp This Year 

June 22-27, 2025, Taylor welcomed 36 high school students to campus for IMPACT Camp. Zylstra and Dr. Mick Bates, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Professor of Entrepreneurship, led classroom instruction time. 

During the first session, students took the CliftonStrengths assessment and an interest survey, which informed group formation. Classroom instruction mirrored the curriculum from Taylor Entrepreneurship classes and followed the Basadur Innovation Process and explored the steps of innovation, idea cultivation, and learning to think in new ways.  

Each day, the students engaged in innovation challenges designed by IMPACT Camp’s logistics staff—made up of Taylor students. These creative competitions ranged from building a water balloon launcher, designing cardboard boats and racing them in Taylor Lake, and navigating an escape room in an academic building. 

Taylor faculty and staff led various professional development sessions on topics like artificial intelligence, marketing, and organizational change, and entrepreneurs came to discuss their industries. Campers also engaged in recreational games as well as devotional time and worship and stayed in a residence hall. 

Each team was assigned a broad social issue, such as the environmental impact of waste or isolation that stems from social media use. From there, the students narrowed in on a specific concept and began researching a business idea and created an executive summary. During group time, the teams worked with a Taylor student peer mentor and faculty advisor to apply class content to their projects, from ideating to problem solving. On the last day, the teams pitched their business ideas to five community investors and had the opportunity to continue developing their ideas after the camp.  

Peer mentor, Finance major, and Computer Science minor Dray Caldwell ‘27 spent his second summer working with IMPACT Camp. “It was incredible to watch the students’ confidence grow over the week. They started off timid and hesitant to speak in front of others—by the end, they were begging for more stage time during the final pitch,” he shared.  

The first-place team developed a program to introduce elementary students to skilled trade professions. Another group designed a program to partner older adults with high school and college students to learn practical life skills and placed second. In third, a team devised a system to recycle waste and turn them into merchandise to sell at stadiums.  

“It’s not just a business camp. It really is a way for students to develop their God-given gifts and abilities in a way to impact the world,” Zylstra shared. 

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship  

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides various opportunities for professional and leadership growth for Taylor students throughout the school year. From internships during the academic year to IMPACT Camp roles like peer mentors, logistics staff, and media team, the CIE seeks to develop and equip young professionals. Students from a variety of departments including Education, Communication, and Business engage with these learning opportunities and begin building their professional skillsets and networks. 

The CIE and their intern staff host various campus events, including Inno Chats—opportunities to sit and connect with entrepreneurs and business professionals. Additionally, the CIE hosts Trojan Arena in the fall, a business pitch competition with cash prizes. In the spring, the CIE puts on Trojan Blitz, a 24-hour social innovation challenge.  

These opportunities further develop servant-leaders who are equipped to serve God and the world through a variety of industries.