Philadelphia, PA – May 23, 2024- A group of Mercy Career and Technical High School students enrolled in college level courses through a local nonprofit, got a surprise visit from veteran NBA Star and Philadelphia native Michael Kidd-Gilchrest.
The juniors are studying Intro to Entrepreneurship through ONTRACK Plus– a free education resource that helps 5,000+ underserved high school students across the country navigate high school and prepare for what comes next! ONTRACK Plus features more than 200 video modules to help students learn study tips, how to choose a major, complete the FAFSA, how to develop social/emotional skills and much more. The platform also enables high school juniors and seniors to take college level courses for FREE and earn up to 3 college credits per course.
One of these college level courses – Intro to Entrepreneurship – is finishing up for 11th grade students at Mercy Career and Technical High School in Philadelphia. As they prepared for their final business pitches, retired NBA star Michael Kidd-Gilchrest paid them a visit, listened to their pitches, and gave feedback on their ideas.
Kidd-Gilchrest also shared his inspiring journey, from overcoming personal challenges with stuttering to achieving success both on and off the basketball court. He also talked about how difficult it was to retire from the NBA after a myocarditis diagnosis, post-covid-19. In 2021, he started his own foundation–Change & Impact to educate, advocate, and help improve access to healthcare for the 3.5 million people who stutter. He has also partnered with IBM to develop an app for people who stutter.
ONTRACK Plus is made possible by the generosity of the Uncommon Individual Foundation founded by Dr. Richard Caruso in 1986. UIF is a nonprofit leader in mentor-based learning. For more information, visit: www.uif.org
Press Contact: Lucy Lopez, Chief Communications Officer: Lucy.Lopez@ontrackplus.org