About
The Wharton Global Youth Program includes interactive lectures, hands-on activities, team collaboration, academic classes, group work, business simulations, small group exercises, and a final pitch competition. Students take part in engaging classroom discussions and concepts, small group work focused on collaboration, research and project development, and lessons enriched by guest speakers and Wharton alumni. The program also offers the Wharton Global Youth Speaker Series, site visits off campus, visits to regional companies for on-site education and executive-led insights, daily opportunities to experience local culture and urban vibrance through food and activities, fun weekend excursions to regional cities and attractions, and networking with global peers, teaching assistants and professional educators.
• Ages: 14–17 years old
• Schedule: Academic classes Monday–Friday with extracurricular activities in the evenings and on weekends; Essentials of Entrepreneurship and other location-based programs run as intensive two-week summer sessions
Essentials of Entrepreneurship is an intensive two-week summer program for a select group of high school students currently enrolled in 9th to 11th grades, and all participants who complete this program earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion. The program culminates in a final pitch competition where students present their startup ideas and receive real-time feedback. The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a free, experiential investment challenge for high school students in grades 9–12 and teachers, and Wharton Global Youth Location-Based Programs are two-week summer experiences for high school students in grades 9–11 that feature Wharton business education in locations curated to enrich course content and strengthen global perspectives.
A typical weekday schedule includes a 9:30–10:00 a.m. morning check-in, a topics lecture or guest speaker from 10:15–11:15 a.m., a topics lecture from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., lunch from 12:30–1:45 p.m., group work or a business simulation from 1:45–2:45 p.m., a small group exercise or business simulation debrief from 3:00–4:00 p.m., and a TA office hour and takeaways of the day from 4:00–4:30 p.m. Academic classes are held Monday–Friday, with extracurricular activities available in the evenings and on weekends, students move in on the Sunday before the program starts and move out on the final Saturday, and no class is held on Friday, June 19, and Friday, July 3, in observance of Juneteenth and Independence Day, with other program days during those sessions running on an extended schedule to make up the time.
The Wharton Global Youth Program’s mission is to mobilize the extensive opportunities of the Wharton academic community to educate and inspire pre-collegiate students to explore business practices, analyze the world’s complex challenges, and take the first steps in becoming leaders who will transform the global economy. The leadership team includes Senior Executive Director Eli Lesser, Senior Director of Programs Lena Elguindi, Director of Enrollment Management & Learning Pathways Lauren More, Director of Communication & Competitions Kara Dunn, Senior Manager of Learning Design & Instructional Technology Dongnian (Effie) Zhou, Associate Director of Communications Gregory Wilson, Manager of the Pre-Baccalaureate Program Alaysha Suggs, Online Programs Coordinator Esther Martin, Admission and Enrollment Manager Carlee D’Amato, and Manager of On-Campus Programs Chelsey Thompson, with David Hsu as Academic Director and Brittany J. Mallory as Instructor. David Hsu is the Richard A. Sapp Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with degrees from Stanford University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he teaches MBA electives in Entrepreneurship and Technology Strategy and serves as Associate Faculty Director of the Weiss Tech House at Penn. Brittany J. Mallory is a doctoral student whose research explores the role of human capital in high-growth startups, with an emphasis on non-founder employees.
One student, John H., a sophomore at Glendora High School in California, studied in the Essentials of Entrepreneurship program and shares the story of his team’s final project. Another student, Drew C. from Maryland, who attended Innovation and Startup Culture, notes that meeting other students from across the world showed him how Wharton brings together innovative thinkers and that he learned it would be important to have a foundation in business that might eventually spark innovation.
Last updated July 10, 2026.
• Ages: 14–17 years old
• Schedule: Academic classes Monday–Friday with extracurricular activities in the evenings and on weekends; Essentials of Entrepreneurship and other location-based programs run as intensive two-week summer sessions
Essentials of Entrepreneurship is an intensive two-week summer program for a select group of high school students currently enrolled in 9th to 11th grades, and all participants who complete this program earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion. The program culminates in a final pitch competition where students present their startup ideas and receive real-time feedback. The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a free, experiential investment challenge for high school students in grades 9–12 and teachers, and Wharton Global Youth Location-Based Programs are two-week summer experiences for high school students in grades 9–11 that feature Wharton business education in locations curated to enrich course content and strengthen global perspectives.
A typical weekday schedule includes a 9:30–10:00 a.m. morning check-in, a topics lecture or guest speaker from 10:15–11:15 a.m., a topics lecture from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., lunch from 12:30–1:45 p.m., group work or a business simulation from 1:45–2:45 p.m., a small group exercise or business simulation debrief from 3:00–4:00 p.m., and a TA office hour and takeaways of the day from 4:00–4:30 p.m. Academic classes are held Monday–Friday, with extracurricular activities available in the evenings and on weekends, students move in on the Sunday before the program starts and move out on the final Saturday, and no class is held on Friday, June 19, and Friday, July 3, in observance of Juneteenth and Independence Day, with other program days during those sessions running on an extended schedule to make up the time.
The Wharton Global Youth Program’s mission is to mobilize the extensive opportunities of the Wharton academic community to educate and inspire pre-collegiate students to explore business practices, analyze the world’s complex challenges, and take the first steps in becoming leaders who will transform the global economy. The leadership team includes Senior Executive Director Eli Lesser, Senior Director of Programs Lena Elguindi, Director of Enrollment Management & Learning Pathways Lauren More, Director of Communication & Competitions Kara Dunn, Senior Manager of Learning Design & Instructional Technology Dongnian (Effie) Zhou, Associate Director of Communications Gregory Wilson, Manager of the Pre-Baccalaureate Program Alaysha Suggs, Online Programs Coordinator Esther Martin, Admission and Enrollment Manager Carlee D’Amato, and Manager of On-Campus Programs Chelsey Thompson, with David Hsu as Academic Director and Brittany J. Mallory as Instructor. David Hsu is the Richard A. Sapp Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with degrees from Stanford University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he teaches MBA electives in Entrepreneurship and Technology Strategy and serves as Associate Faculty Director of the Weiss Tech House at Penn. Brittany J. Mallory is a doctoral student whose research explores the role of human capital in high-growth startups, with an emphasis on non-founder employees.
One student, John H., a sophomore at Glendora High School in California, studied in the Essentials of Entrepreneurship program and shares the story of his team’s final project. Another student, Drew C. from Maryland, who attended Innovation and Startup Culture, notes that meeting other students from across the world showed him how Wharton brings together innovative thinkers and that he learned it would be important to have a foundation in business that might eventually spark innovation.
Last updated July 10, 2026.
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