2024-2025 Team

Hope Schwartz

Hope is a Senior at Columbia High School, where she is a dual-sport athlete playing varsity soccer and basketball. She also serves as the Boys Varsity Soccer Manager. Outside of athletics, Hope is a leader in her school community, holding positions as National Honor Society President, Student Council Senior Class Treasurer, Best Buddies Social Media Coordinator, and
Blue Crew Leader/Social Media Coordinator. When she is not on the field or at school, Hope works at Steamers Crew Soccer and operates her own business, Buttons By Hope, creating  custom-designed buttons. After high school she plans to attend the University of Mississippi to  pursue a degree in communications or business. Participating in startUP, Hope aims to grow her business and refine her public speaking skills. She is excited and honored to have been given this amazing opportunity and cannot wait to see what the year ahead will​ hold.

Aja Bernardino

Aja Bernardino is a Senior at Gibault Catholic High School. She has been actively
involved in the Varsity soccer and cross-country teams at school all throughout high school and is also the cross country team captain this year. Aja is actively involved in numerous clubs such as Student Council, National Honors Society, FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Ministry, and many more. Outside of school she works as a hostess at Sunset Country Club and is a competitive cheerleader who enjoys spending lots of time in the gym. After graduation Aja hopes to go to a university to study exercise science to become a physical therapist. She is very excited for the opportunity to grow her leadership skills and business understanding through StartUP!​

Austin Stern

​​Austin Stern is a senior at Gibault Catholic High School, where he serves as a Student Council representative and is active in FFA, FCA, Campus Ministry, and Saturday Scholars. A committed athlete, he has competed in both track and soccer for all four years of high school, pushing himself to improve on and off the field. Beyond school, Austin works at 1860 Public House in Red Bud as a cook, gaining valuable experience in teamwork and adaptability. In his free time, he enjoys reading, training, and spending time with friends and family. Austin has also enlisted in the Army National Guard, where he will complete basic training after graduation before  pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. He sees the startUP program as more than just a class—it is a chance to sharpen his leadership, communication, and entrepreneurial skills, while building connections that will support his future in both business and service.​

Avery Herrman

Avery Herrmann is a Senior at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, IL. She is an active member of her school and community. She is a member of the varsity Girls Golf team, Treasurer of Gibault’s National Honors Society, Historian of her school’s Student Council, and Chaplin of FFA. She is also a FCA leader and a member of the Math and Academic Challenge teams of Gibault. Outside of school, Avery works at the movie theater in Waterloo and is a leader in her church’s youth group. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and being outside. After high school, Avery plans on attending a 4 year university. She would like to major in mechanical or aerospace engineering. Avery is excited for the upcoming year and hopes that Start Up will help her grow in business and leadership skills! She is grateful for this opportunity!​

Cambry Johnson

Cambry Johnson is a Senior at Columbia High School. She is on the Varsity Volleyball team and has participated in club and school volleyball all four years. She is active in NHS, Student Council, Best Buddies, and serves as a Blue Officer. Cambry works as a lifeguard at Columbia Bath & Tennis, Meadow Ridge Pool, and the Monroe County YMCA, as well as a file clerk at Jacobs Sunrooms, Exteriors & Baths. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going on walks, shopping, and going to the gym. After High School, she plans to attend University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign or University of Missouri to study Business Finance or Accounting. She has started making her bracelet-making business and plans to expand into making trucker hats. Through StartUp, Cambry looks forward to growing her business skills, building connections, and learning from mistakes to keep improving every day.​

Carly Chambers

Carly Chambers is a senior at Columbia High School. She conveys leadership both in athletics and her community. In addition to serving as captain of the varsity cross country team, she is the senior class secretary for Student Council and a part of the track team. For the past year and a half, her work at Jimmy John's has provided hands-on experience in customer service and team coordination. After graduation, Carly plans to attend McKendree University to study exercise science and run cross country and track. She joins startUP to explore her entrepreneurial drive and looks forward to developing her business knowledge and people skills to create a positive impact in her future career. Although she is unsure of her future business, she is excited to learn and grow from this unique opportunity.​​

Emerson Hohman

Emerson Hohman is a senior at Columbia High School with a strong interest in business and entrepreneurship. She is actively involved in Student Council, and is planning on joining Best Buddies. Emerson currently has a sewing business called Campus Creations, that designs College Gear. She plans to attend the University of Kentucky and wants to major in Business. Emerson works at Curtis Jewelers and the Waterloo Country Club. At Curtis Jewelers she helps show people how to find what their dream items, and at the Waterloo Country Club, where she enjoys welcoming guests and creating a friendly environment. Both roles have strengthened her communication skills and passion for helping others. Emerson is so excited to be given this opportunity to be in Start-Up and hopes one day to launch her own business, continuing the entrepreneurial spirit her mom began.

Grace Hunsucker

Grace Hunsucker is a current senior at Columbia High School who is heavily involved in the arts and her community. Over the past three years, she has participated in the Art De Jour competition in the sculpture category, earning both an honorable mention and a second place ribbon. Grace has a long history of performing with various theaters and has accumulated hundreds of service hours helping behind the scenes, demonstrating her deep appreciation for theatre. She has always approached life with creativity and hopes to start her own business involving the arts. After high school, Grace plans to continue her art education in college with the goal of becoming an art therapist or theater professor. Her passion and motivation stem from her desire to help others heal and discover themselves through the freedom of artistic expression. For Grace, the StartUP program is a valuable opportunity to expand her business knowledge, establish meaningful connections, and develop professional skills to benefit her in entrepreneurship and everyday life.​

Henry Dillenberger

​​Henry Dillenberger, who is now 17, has dreams that are way bigger than reality. He’s a Senior involved in FFA at Gibault Catholic High School and a Waterloo Optimist Club member. His business is a huge part of what he does for work, and he still helps out on his family farm and works at a printing plant, MAR Graphics. Cars and having the opportunity to build his own is a huge passion for him. In Henry’s eyes, he views StartUP as his next stepping stone in life. Retaining everything he can from the class for his personal business to grow and succeed is all he wants right now.​

Karina Jerkatis

Karina is a senior at Gibault Catholic High School and is a dedicated two-sport varsity athlete, serving proudly as co-captain of both the volleyball and softball teams. Through athletics, she has developed strong leadership skills, resilience, and the ability to motivate those around her, qualities that carry over into every aspect of her life. She is also actively engaged in her school community as a member of the National Honor Society, Student Activities Board, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Future Farmers of America, where she enjoys contributing to the success of her peers and her school. For the past two years, she has volunteered at a youth Christian summer camp as well as a youth volleyball camp, where she enjoyed mentoring younger students and creating positive experiences for others. In addition to her academic and service commitments, Karina has pursued her creative passions by taking art classes for the past four years and has even earned recognition in small-scale art shows. Looking ahead, Karina plans to attend the University of Kansas as a Business major. She hopes to combine her leadership, creativity, and passion for helping others into a career that makes a lasting impact.​

Kennedy Daniels

Kennedy Daniels is a Senior at Columbia High School. Kennedy is actively involved with Best Buddies, Student Council, and Blue Crew, where she enjoys supporting her high school sports. When she isn’t at school, she works as a swim instructor and in the childcare center at the YMCA. In addition to this, she also works at Dusty Dogz Bar and Grill in Columbia, Illinois. Some of her hobbies include spending time with her friends and family, shopping, drawing and painting, and caring for children, particularly through babysitting. Kennedy has a strong passion for helping and caring for others and plans to major in nursing with the goal of becoming a pediatric oncologist after graduation. She hopes to attend University of Louisville and join their nursing program. Kennedy is very excited to be a part of this amazing opportunity through the startUP Program, and believes that it will positively influence her future success.​

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Lylah Bridges​

Lylah Bridges is a senior at Columbia High School. Lylah is on the Varsity squad for Columbia Eagles Cheer, Lylah has been involved in Cheer and PowerHaus tumble team since she was 7 years old. Lylah loves to show her personality through performing during her competition season. Lylah works for dusty dogz bar and grill and also Curtis Jewelers, she loves to provide great service, making sure customers feel welcomed and valued. For Columbia High School Lylah is involved in the best buddies program and student council. Lylah has a passion for serving others and plans to attend Missouri State University to major in aesthetic nursing. After her time in college she would love to begin her career and hopes to run her own aesthetic services. She is very excited to be given this opportunity through the StartUp program and can't wait to see what this class

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Max Keeven

Max Keeven is a senior at Gibault catholic high school. He participates in golf for his school and hockey for the public school. He has been a varsity athlete all 4 years in both sports. Max is a part of a nonprofit youth group that helps out the poor people of Cairo Illinois. He travels down to Cairo every year to do service work for the community.  He enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time. He also goes golfing a lot out of season.  He is aiming his sights to Arkansas and will study business. Max is hoping to gain more skills in public speaking and selling products. He hopes to start his own business and be successful one day. 

Nathaniel Atkinson

Nathaniel Atkinson is a senior at Gibault High School and captain of the golf team. He has developed strong leadership skills both on the course and through his work at Camp Ondessonk, where he helps guide and mentor campers during the summer. These experiences have strengthened his ability to lead teams, communicate effectively, and adapt under pressure. Outside of school and camp, Nathaniel enjoys mountain biking, golfing, hunting, and spending time in nature. He strives to stay engaged, make the most of every opportunity, and continue building skills that will serve him in future academic and professional endeavors.​

Peyton Herbeck

Peyton Herbeck is a junior at Columbia high school, where she has participated in volleyball and soccer. Peyton also is a part of the Best Buddies club with the position of walk coordinator. Outside of school, Peyton works at the Doggie den in Columbia, and Latchkey at Ics in Columbia. Peyton has a passion for interior design and after graduating, she plans to attend a four-year university to pursue business and interior design. Peyton plans to eventually own her interior design real estate company. Peyton is very excited to have been given this amazing opportunity to grow through the Startup program!