2021-2022 Team

Elizabeth Bowler

​Elizabeth Bowler is a senior at Columbia High School. She has participated in color guard for the entirety of her high school career and is now one of the two captains of the team. She is also actively involved in her Student Council and her youth group. Regarding her future career, Elizabeth is very interested in becoming a wedding or event planner, though she is unsure about what her future will look like. Elizabeth has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and would love to start a successful small business of her own. She is very excited to learn more about the ins and outs of business through the various opportunities that startUP presents.

Kambrie Cooper 

Kambrie Cooper is a senior at Waterloo High School. She has been on the girl's golf and softball team for all four years along with being a member of the yearbook club. Since she plays golf, Kambrie has a job at Annbriar Golf Course as a cart attendant. Kambrie has a passion for fashion and loves all things involved with clothing and accessories. After college, Kambrie plans on opening her own clothing boutique. She is looking forward to meeting other small business owners and learning how to navigate owning her own business. Kambrie has always wanted to have her own business since she was a little girl and was thrilled to hear she can work toward that goal in high school! She's excited to see what 2021-2022 startUP has to offer. ​

Megan Fix

Megan Fix is a junior at Columbia High School. She is a member of the Color Guard team for her third year. She enjoys playing a variety of instruments like baritone and piano. For her personal business, she is interested in doing photography, as she thinks it's a beautiful thing to capture life's moments in still pictures. Her goal this year is to develop powerful skills she can use in everyday life. She decided to apply for startUP because it is interactive and believes that hands-on experiences construct better skills. She is excited to interact with the other startUP students. For a future career, Megan is interested in becoming a broadcast journalist. ​

Aurora Gass

Aurora Gass is a junior at Columbia High School. She is a member of the Student Council and Science Club, is a lifeguard, and has belonged to a swim team for many years. She plans to attend a four-year university and major in accounting. Although Aurora isn't exactly certain what business she wants to create during startUP, she thinks she would like it to have something to do with making and designing jewelry. Understanding how to start a business and then being able to start one on her own is what she is most eager to do during this program. Aurora is more than excited about the new connections and friends that she will make in startUP. ​

Eli Hand

​Eli Hand is a junior at Waterloo High School. He plays baseball, piano, and guitar. He wants to be a business owner or maybe a co-owner of something in either the culinary field, a business in a trade like mowing or welding, or maybe something with cars like a car dealership. He has always wanted to be in an entrepreneurial place in life. His goals for the year are to grow as a person socially, academically, and in a business way, and to make more money than in past years. He is just very excited to work with his classmates and working with the board members.

Jolie Hilgedieck

​Jolie Hilgedieck is a Senior at Columbia High School. She is a figure skater who competes individually and on two synchronized skating teams. She is the president of the National Honors Society and the vice president of the Student Council at CHS. After high school, Jolie plans to get a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Spanish, before going to law school to get her J.D. In order to share her love for fitness, Jolie wants to start her own personal training business. She is looking forward to all of the opportunities that the startUP program will provide and hopes to grow from the challenges that it will present.

Karly Hoggard

​Karly Hoggard is a junior at Columbia High School. When she is not at school Karly spends her time volunteering, participating in the drama club, key club, and working at Denny’s in Waterloo. After graduating, she plans to attend a four-year university to study astronomy and English. Karly hopes to become a scientific writer. Although she is unsure of what she wants her business to be, she does know that she wants to make something. She is very excited to be given such an amazing opportunity, and can not wait to see where this year brings her!

Lillian Prather

Lillian Prather is a Junior at Waterloo High School. Along with babysitting, she participates in Soccer and Tennis, is a class representative in the Student Council, a member of the Speech team, and is a section leader in the Marching Band. After high school, Lillian is considering attending college for law, however, she is unsure of what field. For her small business, she wants to utilize her creativity and create a business that will lift people’s spirits. Lillian’s main goal through the startUP program is to become more self-sufficient and confident in her abilities. She is very excited to learn more about business through startUP and its mentors.

Maggie Meppiel

Maggie Meppiel is a Senior at Waterloo High School. This is her fourth year playing for the tennis team and she loves to play ukulele as well. Maggie has always dreamed of owning a graphic design business where she can create logos and advertisements for people in need. After high school, she plans to attend a four-year university majoring in Art / Graphic Design and minoring in Business. She is very excited to be given this opportunity and looks forward to creating relationships along the way!

Alex Patrick

Alex Patrick is a senior at Columbia High School. He has played on the golf team his whole high school career and also enjoys hunting and fishing outside of school. He is also involved in Student Council and National Honors Society. Alex’s business, Patrick’s Power Washing, provides power washing services such as driveway cleaning and house washes to Monroe County. He was inspired to open his own business last summer because he wanted to invest in himself and be self-employed. Alex also plans to go to college to pursue a career in orthodontics and open his own practice one day.