Many young people have uninhibited perspectives on how to save lives and make the world a better place for people of all walks of life.

Seniors from North Idaho STEM Charter Academy were recently recognized for their altruistic entrepreneurial visions at back-to-back competitions, where they were awarded top honors, scholarships and cash for business ideas that illustrated their ingenuity and compassion.

Sarah Wakelin, Isabel Howard and Kara Grossman earned first place for their "Make-It-Up Machine" concept at You Lead Idaho, held Jan. 18 and sponsored by the nonprofit Trailhead Boise, a business incubator, startup accelerator and coworking space.

“The Make-It-Up Machine is a custom makeup vending machine that can sell the correct shade of foundation for the user,” Howard said Wednesday. “We wanted to make the beauty community more inclusive by having the correct shade for all people.”

Grossman came up with the idea. She said she realized how difficult it can be for women with different shades of skin color and skin types to find the right product that fits their needs.

“That’s the inspiration for the color matching, but it also adds skin care,” she said. "I love wearing makeup so I wanted to have a foundation that would not clog my pores or dry my skin and be customizable.”

The team members won $7,500 in scholarships ($2,500 each) at You Lead Idaho, then won $1,000 cash for coming in first place in the technology division at the High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge held Jan. 26 in Boise.

Their North Idaho STEM Charter classmates Magnus Williamson and CJ Roco also fared well in the contests. They earned second place at You Lead Idaho for coming up with "Mammicure," a combination of a mammogram and manicure.

“It’s an imaging center for mammograms and ultrasounds, but it’s combined with a nail salon and salon features,” Roco said.

They envisioned the building to have mammogram services on the bottom floor with a self-care pampering space on the second floor.

“Another part of it was there would be what’s called a ‘boutique radiologist,'" Roco said, explaining how this type of radiologist stays by the patient's side as imaging and testing results are revealed.

"By the time you leave our building, you would know exactly what’s going on with your body and if there’s anything detected or wrong, instead of waiting a three-day period that’s seen with most mammograms," Roco said.

Williamson said competing in the entrepreneur challenges was a great experience, and it was a pleasant surprise to have done so well.

"We come to Boise, we think we’re coming up against the best of the best," Williamson said. "But it wasn’t like that. We were rural kids placing in a big city.”

Williamson and Roco won $5,000 in scholarships, or $2,500 each, at You Lead Idaho for the innovative "Mammicure," as well as a $5,000 cash prize for $2,500 each.

The students' ideas grew out of the entrepreneurial senior projects required of North Idaho STEM's seniors, but it was more personal than a simple school project for Williamson.

“My mom, she actually had breast cancer about two years ago,” he said. "It wasn’t caught as soon as it could be, so if there was just a better system in place then it would have been easier to catch. It would have been better overall. It was a little project for me.”

Stephanie Childress, teacher and secondary program adviser at North Idaho STEM Charter, said she appreciated how open these students were to new and innovative ideas.

“I love their enthusiasm and their creativity,” she continued. “They’re a fun group of kids. Very intelligent, good go-getters. They worked really well together.”

    From left, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy seniors Sarah Wakelin, Kara Grossman and Isabel Howard pitch their "Make-It-Up Machine" concept an entrepreneurial competition in January in Boise. The team took first place at You Lead Idaho held Jan. 18 and first place in the technology division at the High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge held Jan. 26 in Boise.
  

    Seniors CJ Roco, left, and Magnus Williamson pitch their "Mammicure" concept at a recent entrepreneur competition in Boise. They earned second place in the products and services division at the High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge and second place at You Lead Idaho.