As part of a student innovation program, Madison Cabagbag took on the role of CEO during a busy fall semester. She led an intensive initiative to identify key marketing challenges and develop fresh, modern solutions. Along the way, she guided her team members, held one-on-one check-ins, and ensured the group worked well together.
But there was one key difference between Cabagbag and most CEOs: She was just 15 years old.
A sophomore at San Clemente High School in California, Cabagbag was a leader in her local EPIC challenge—part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Employer Provided Innovation Challenges (EPIC) program. This scalable workforce development initiative pairs students with businesses to solve real-world challenges while building skills and credentials through work-based learning.
“I think the EPIC student challenge is the perfect way to put something on your resume, but it's also just really fun,” she says. “High school is a very risk-free way to explore what you might be interested in, and this program does so with the right mentors, and it has the right rewards.”
A Focus on Workforce Development
The EPIC challenge is part of a broader workforce development and student learning initiative in the community. The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce and San Clemente High School designed and launched Futures™, a work-based learning and career exploration program that allots time during the school day for students and local businesses to collaborate over the course of a full semester. The program introduces students to career and technical education (CTE) pathways and includes presentations, Q&A sessions, field trips, and a final capstone experience.
When Susie Lantz, CEO of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, learned about the EPIC program, she thought it was a natural complement to Futures™, adding a real-world component to the initiative. Students first learn about a business and its operations, then participate in the fifth session that launches the EPIC challenge, working over several weeks to produce solutions the business can implement.
“The EPIC component was the icing on the cake for our existing program, helping students connect all the pieces and make sense of the full experience,” Lantz says.
Dr. David E. Foster, K-12 pathway coordinator for the South Orange County Community College District, agrees. Integrating EPIC into Futures allows students to build foundational knowledge, then apply it during an additional four-week period focused on real-world business challenges, often during free periods in the school day.
In this case, 14 students were divided into two teams. Their challenge partner was PoolRx Worldwide, a San Clemente-based pool products company that offers residential and commercial swimming pool and spa solutions that reduce chemical use. A member of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, the company employs 50 people and was looking for innovative ideas to strengthen its marketing and community engagement. After four weeks of research and development, the students presented their ideas to leaders from PoolRx, the San Clemente Chamber, and San Clemente High School.
The students’ ideas were impressive. Building on the long-term sponsorship program with the local rugby league, they proposed player trading cards to promote the sport while also raising awareness of PoolRx and its community involvement. They also proposed new social media strategies, enhancements to the online shopping experience, and targeted outreach to young families—one of the company’s primary audiences.
“The students’ ideas were fresh, modern,” says Andreea Trufasu, CEO of PoolRx. “They demonstrated that they understood the product and the audience.”
The company was so impressed that it offered several students paid internships to help execute the ideas.
A Model for the Future
Lantz says that the program brings together students from grades 9 through 12, giving them the opportunity to build relationships, step into leadership roles like Cabagbag’s, and develop important business skills, experience, and professional connections. Foster says the school has seen an increase in enrollment in the Futures program.
“With the EPIC program, the students wanted to be there and were motivated to participate,” Foster adds. “They knew what they were going to do and wanted to do it. I think that was a big part of the success, and, quite honestly, the energy in the room.”
Programs like EPIC give businesses an opportunity to give back to their communities by helping students. Trufasu says PoolRX plans to participate again in future.
“We believe it is our social responsibility as a business to invest time and guidance in the younger generation so they are prepared for successful careers. We see it as, ‘If not us, then who?’” Trufasu says.
The program has even garnered the attention from local government leaders. San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler praised the program, saying it is “making a meaningful impact by preparing students for real career opportunities and strengthening connections between education and local industry. This is a model of community-led workforce development at its best.”
The school and chamber have already launched their next EPIC challenge.
In addition to the boost EPIC’s creative infusion gives local businesses, the program offers students valuable credentials that can make a difference. Cabagbag felt honored—and “like an adult”—when she received her credential at the end of the program.
It also helped her begin thinking about what she might want to do in the future.
“I do love presenting, so maybe something on the sales side, or something like presenting projects or pitching ideas,” she says. “That might be something that I'll end up exploring throughout high school.”
And so, a career journey begins.
