North Peace Student off to Prestigious MIT Launch

This article originally appeared on Alaska Highway News.What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question few high school students have the answer to.But North Peace Secondary Student Jessica Telizyn knows exactly what she wants to do—she wants to be a surgeon.With such a career on the horizon, Telizyn will head to Massachusetts this month to attend MIT Launch, an entrepreneurship camp hosted by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school has carefully selected students from all over North America to attend.“The acceptance rate is 12 per cent,” Telizyn said. “I’m one of two Canadians (going).”

The focus of MIT Launch is to bring the ambitious youth of the world together, encourage entrepreneurship, and promote business skills.

The focus of MIT Launch is to bring the ambitious youth of the world together, encourage entrepreneurship, and promote business skills. During the program, which runs twice this summer, students will work toward launching their own real startup companies. Many of these companies exist beyond the program, and continue to grow even after the students have returned to high school for the fall semester.Even though Telizyn plans to attend medical school instead of business school, she knows the program it will benefit her in the long run.“Entrepreneurship and being a surgeon will come hand in hand,” she said.“They both require thinking on the spot and making creative, meaningful solutions.”

Entrepreneurship and being a surgeon will come hand in hand. They both require thinking on the spot and making creative, meaningful solutions.

The application process for the MIT Launch program matches its prestigious standings—which include writing a variety of essays, interviews, a video about the student. Telizyn’s video features her as a lifeguard, high-ranking speed skater, and excellent student.“I had to talk about why I would be the perfect entrepreneur, and how I think I would benefit from the program, and how the program would benefit me,” Telizyn said.This isn’t the first time Telizyn is advancing her young educational career. Last year, she was accepted to the SHAD program at the University of New Brunswick, a leadership program designed to teach business and technology, and operates out of a dozen of Canada’s top universities.It’s a similar program, so even though no one from the north has taken part in MIT Launch before, Telizyn said she knows what to expect.Telizyn will attend the MIT Launch program in its first session of the summer from June 12 to July 18.“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “I’m very excited.”