GLENDALE, Calif.--Credit Union West partnered with Glendale Community College (GCC) to sponsor the 2022 Innovation Challenge for the third year in a row.
The Innovation Challenge gives GCC students an opportunity to pitch their ideas for a business that solves a problem or makes a difference in their community. The credit union awarded a total of $5,000 to the top three winners to help launch their businesses.
Five finalists were chosen by faculty at GCC to present their ideas to a panel of judges. The panel of judges was comprised of GCC faculty and local business leaders, including Credit Union West’s own SVP/COO Ning Duong.
“I loved being part of the judging panel for the Innovation Challenge,” Duong said. “At Credit Union West, we believe in the power of the youth and we see them as the future leaders of our community. It’s an honor to sponsor this event and help these students reach their goals.”
In addition to sponsoring the event, Credit Union West provided a Financial Education Workshop to the participating students which focused on budgeting, the importance of credit, and how to make saving money a habit. The credit union is proud of its work in teaching financial literacy to the youth in the communities they serve.
The 2022 Glendale Community College Innovation Challenge winners are:
- Sophia Acosta, the first-place winner, received $2,500
- Carson Roubison, the second-place winner, received $1,500
- Megan Bonno, the third-place winner, received $1,000
The three winners will have the chance to represent GCC at The Big Pitch, a competition across all 10 Maricopa County colleges. The students will pitch their ideas on April 13, 2022 to win cash prizes totaling $25,000.