Friends, family and community members gathered May 10 in the gym of the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship to listen and share the ideas of young business owners.

The seventh annual Soaring Shark Tank pitch competition consisted of three eighth grade students presenting their businesses to three judges to earn a grand prize of $2,000. To compete, students had to become one of 10 finalists in a November entrepreneurial summit and then move on to a virtual pitch competition. The top three finalists of the virtual competition were invited to Soaring Shark Tank.

Penn Hills Charter School student Delaney Green, 13, made the pitch for D&A Style Bowtique. She sells a variety of beauty products such as homemade hair bows, lipgloss and bracelets. Delaney noted she always has had a love for beauty products.

“People don’t always know how to express themselves very well,” Delaney said. “Some express themselves in different ways, but some aren’t sure how to. With bracelets and bows, it gives them a way to do that.”

Delaney collaborated with other young business owners and featured some of their products at her stand during the event. She took home the third place prize of $750.

Neighborhood Academy student Maurice Mosley, 14, presented Mosley’s We Keep it Poppin’, his gourmet popcorn line.

“Popcorn is something that makes you feel good,” Maurice said. “It’s popcorn, but it’s nothing like you’ve tasted before.”

Maurice perfected a recipe for popcorn that “doesn’t get stuck in people’s teeth.” The treat comes in three flavors, including classic, oreo crumble and pretzel. He took home second place and $1,000.

Penn Hills Charter student Kaelyn Dixon, 14, competed in the Shark Tank event for her second time and came out on top. She won over the judges with Express Urself, a natural ingredient self-care line.

“My entrepreneurial coach helped me tremendously with my business,” Kaelyn said. “I will forever thank her. She was the one who gave me the idea to start with soy wax.”

Kaelyn said the candles she sells were created with the intent to never cause paint or wall discoloration due to the candle burning for too long.

She sells soy candles, soaps, lip balms, lava rock bracelets and body butters. Kaelyn hand-crafts all of her products using natural ingredients such as organic essential oils.

Each student pitched their businesses to the judges — Amil Cook of Boot Up PGH; Jason Garland, a Duquesne University student; and Taylor Shealy, an alum and owner of Boss Girl Collection.

Another charter school alum, Destiny Folks, owner of Rising Artists LLC, served as emcee.

“We bring (past students) back as guest speakers,” said Debra Titus, the charter school’s entrepreneurial education coach. “They mentor students along the way. Some of the other students who go through this program have siblings that have had a program here as well.”

Not only do previous students come back for events and as interns, parents who are entrepreneurs come and speak to students as well.

Titus said the event looks much different than it did when it first started. Since its founding in 2019, they’ve begun incorporating outside business owners for input.

“To the seventh year that we’re at right now, I can definitely say that we have innovated astronomically,” Titus said. “From using a curriculum that we developed this year for ourselves, working with a team of people to develop how this whole format goes has been very rewarding.”

Titus works with the school’s community partners to help form mentor relationships with students looking to start their own businesses.

“It takes a village,” she said. “This work is not done alone.”

Titus said that being able to see how the event has grown since year one — and getting other partners outside the school to work with the students — has been a successful method for helping students. She hopes to continue the community approach to the program.

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