On a warm October day, fourth- and fifth-grade students from Furman L. Templeton Preparatory Academy in Baltimore took their seats next to Loyola University Maryland students in a classroom at Loyola. The Loyola students told them jokes, asked about their weeks, and shared about college life before they focused on class together.
Part of an afterschool program by Unlimited Potential, a fledgling nonprofit that provides students mentoring and skill development, the visiting students joined Loyola’s Creative Mindset class. Offered for the first time, the class presents creative thinking tools that drive innovation and entrepreneurship but also facilitates something more.
“Loyola students are seeing creativity from a fresh perspective — from the fourth and fifth graders — but they’re also learning through talking with these students and getting to know them, understanding their lives, and witnessing the impact they’re having on their potential,” said Jon Weinstein, entrepreneur in residence at Loyola’s Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and assistant teaching professor at the Sellinger School of Business. “They’re making connections with these young students who they may not ordinarily get to interact with or find common ground with, regardless of age, circumstance, status, geography, or race.”
Weinstein leads the Creative Mindset class, which has hosted the Unlimited Potential students every couple of weeks this semester. The class started with exercises to trigger creativity and connection between the older and younger students and then shifted to group projects to support Unlimited Potential. The students collaborate in teams focused on a product-driven fundraising campaign, expanding the nonprofit’s programs, and developing a strategy for its future.
“Our fourth and fifth graders are working hand in hand with Loyola students, gaining entrepreneurship and creativity skills,” said Haneef Hardy, founder of Unlimited Potential. “Throughout this experience, they’re given a chance to apply these skills in real-life settings. Loyola’s helping bridge the gap and extend opportunities, teaching our students leadership, communication, and entrepreneurship and helping them visualize a future in college.”
During class, one team of students stepped outside and gathered in front of the chalkboard at Loyola’s outdoor classroom. The older and younger students explored ideas to sell a beverage as a fundraiser benefiting Unlimited Potential. They sketched drink label designs on the chalkboard, discussed social media marketing, and practiced sales pitches. The collaboration benefits both groups of students.
“It is wildly evident how helpful it’s been to have these students come in,” said Ava Farrell, ’26, a junior studying leadership and management consulting, psychology, and innovation and entrepreneurship at Loyola. “Being younger, you have the freedom to be more creative, so being able to work with these students who are younger and more curious and hearing their perspective teaches us how to be more open and make mistakes.”
The collaboration between the Loyola students and younger students represents a central tenet of Loyola’s Jesuit educational mission. Called community-engaged learning or service-learning, the collaboration between students and community members helps both groups learn from one another and build knowledge together. Loyola’s Center for Community, Service, and Justice helps implement community-engaged learning throughout the university.
Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management in Baltimore delivers an internationally recognized Jesuit business education. Recognized for its scholarship, ethical leadership, and tradition of excellence, the Sellinger School delivers a wide range of sought-after fields of study including nine undergraduate majors and 12 undergraduate minors as well as full-time, part-time, and fully online MBA and Master of Accounting programs. (www.loyola.edu/sellinger)
