At 7:30 a.m. on an April Thursday, Danika Gadient (‘25) stood in front of 30 business professionals, her hands shaking slightly. She was wearing the business professional clothing she purchased specifically for this event, and she cleared her throat to speak. It was her turn to give an “elevator pitch” about her involvement in advanced coursework, community service and co-curricular activities at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) — and though she was a little nervous, she was also confident. She’d done this all before.

“It’s a really hard thing to put yourself in front of 30-plus real people who are in the business world and a lot older than you,” Gadient reflected — but not impossible, thanks to the guidance and support she received through the Future Leader Program, a partnership between EPHS and the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce. “It was a really cool experience and 100% worth it.” 

The Future Leader Program has connected high school students to Eden Prairie’s business  community since the early 2000s, when the local chamber of commerce saw a chance to further its connection with EPHS. “The driving force behind it was I wanted to have the Chamber connect students and business in a much more impactful way,” remembered Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce President Pat MulQueeny. The Chamber had already worked with Karen Brettingen, then a business and marketing teacher at EPHS, to support DECA (an entrepreneurship activity) and business courses. Both sides saw the benefit of a stronger partnership. And so, the Future Leader Program was born, making its home within the EPHS Senior Internship Program, a year-long seminar course for highly motivated 12th graders who want to get a head start on their future.

In the Senior Internship Program, Eagles engage in informational and mock interviews, networking breakfasts, field trips and more across industries, says Rachel (Olson) Hari (‘12), a business & marketing teacher at EPHS and co-coordinator of the program. Students who seek an extra layer of challenge can apply to the Chamber’s Future Leader Program, in which they are paired with an industry mentor and participate in additional volunteering, job shadowing and micro-internship projects. 

Strong community connections make these activities particularly relevant to students. On a spring visit to Target headquarters, for example, a group of Eden Prairie Schools alumni showed the Eagles around. “The employees were in these students’ shoes, and now they’re at Target, which is really fun for these students to see,” Hari shared. Future Leaders’ industry mentors also provide strong support. “It’s really cute how nervous, at first, the students are to go to these networking opportunities, and then just to see them grow. Our Chamber community has surrounded them and comforted them — like, ‘You can do hard things.’” 

When the Future Leader Program began, it was on the cutting edge. “There was no other program engaged with high school students,” said MulQueeny. Once EP established itself as a leader, others tried to follow. “Over the years we’ve had different chambers reach out to us to pick our brain, try to replicate the program. I know some have done so, and I know some have tried it and it didn’t quite work,” he shared. “This program truly has to be a partnership. We’ve got to have teachers there that are committed to it and have a flair for it. There’s this energy and dynamic of the teachers at Eden Prairie High School — they really come across as people who want the best for those students. They want these experiences to really have an impact and provide growth.”

And they have. Future Leaders report “this program puts them head and shoulders above other students at college” who haven’t worked on resumes, presented to a group or networked, said MulQueeny. “We’ve heard from the teachers that for some of the students, this lit that spark so all of a sudden they came out of their shell and became who they should be.” One of those students was Brennan McCarthy, CFP (‘13), now Boulevard Wealth Management’s Director of Financial Planning, who MulQueeny says is the Future Leader Program’s “poster child.” McCarthy’s Future Leader mentor was Troy Noor, Director of Portfolio Planning at Boulevard. McCarthy “got interested in that financial planning role, went through the education needed, the certification programs, was hired and is there now,” said MulQueeny. “He’s one of our success stories — he’s back here, he’s working for one of our local businesses.” 

Both Hari and Mark Anderson, co-program coordinator and fellow business & marketing teacher at EPHS, have seen the impacts of the senior internship program firsthand. Hari and her husband, Stephen Hari (‘11), both experienced the class while at EPHS. Anderson’s son, Brock Anderson (‘22), recently secured a summer internship using tools he had learned in the course. “He said to me, ‘I was just using the skills that I got from the program,’” Anderson smiled. “He really blossomed during that time.” Hari agreed. “We see firsthand how well this program can do for people, which I think just leads to how passionate we are.” 

For Mark Anderson, who received a BestPrep Educator of Excellence award in May for his work with the program, the passion comes from seeing students evolve. “You see a different side of the students when they’re in front of these professionals. You can see that confidence grow, you can see their professionalism grow,” he emphasized. “And that’s what really does it for me, and what drives me to want to keep looking for more opportunities for students.”

Ultimately, MulQueeny said, opportunities for students equal opportunities for the full community. It’s a cycle that keeps on giving. “At the end of this, we hope we get some of these students back becoming the future business leaders for Eden Prairie.”

“You see a different side of the students... You can see that confidence grow, you can see their professionalism grow.” – Mark Anderson