TDSB Students Score Second Place in Intuit “Lead with a Cause” Social Innovation Challenge

By Hilary Caton, Communications Officer

After months of planning, prepping and prototype building, Grade 11 student Lenecia Walters and her team of students from Georges Vanier Secondary School recently took home second place in the Intuit “Lead with a Cause” Social Innovation Challenge.

"I am super excited and proud of myself for all the struggles we actually went through [to get this far]. My next step is to expand my business journey and learn more," says Walters.

The group of students were given $7,000 in prizes to continue furthering Walters’s design.

Her company is aptly named, Smile and includes a smart toothbrush that helps the user brush properly and effectively, while providing real time information about the health of the user's gums and teeth. It has a built-in waterproof camera that takes pictures and videos of your mouth, which is then displayed on a phone using an app also designed by the team. If users agree, they can also opt-in to have the photos sent directly to their dentist. It also notifies the user if their brushing is too hard and includes a GPS locator in case it’s ever lost or misplaced.

The challenge launched in November of 2021, in partnership with the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement, and Walters had just moved to Canada from Jamaica in October. Everything was new to her, including dipping her toes into the pool of business and entrepreneurship. It was when she had submitted a proposal as a culminating assignment for a business class that her teacher, Breda Casey-Walls, was impressed and encouraged her to enter the proposal into the competition.

During the pre-competition phase, Walters’s team originally included Grade11 students Awurama Adu Boahen and Madison Hamlyn-Holder, but both had to step down for personal reasons. However, Sufia Arshad, Grade 12, and Ngoc Minh Jennifer Nguyen Grade 11, stepped in to ensure Walters was well supported throughout the months-long competition.

Not only did the whole team have the help of Assistant Curriculum Leader Susanna Scocchia, and Jason Brissett, Graduation Coach for Black Students, with the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement; they also had Jeff Kassab, an Intuit mentor assigned to them from Intuit’s Education department who met with them weekly to go over everything from the process of design to pricing and distribution.

They were also provided with the free, self-paced “Design for Delight” course, which is specific to Intuit’s design thinking method, to help teams create their own innovative solution.

With their help, they were able to compete at a regional and national level against nine school districts from across Canada and the United States to make it to the final round, where they placed second.

"I'm very impressed with their creativity and their ability to think outside the box. When I first saw the prototype and they held it, it was such a proud moment," says Scocchia, who adds, helping the students complete this challenge has provided them with such great learning opportunities.

"It's been beneficial on many levels, it's given them an opportunity to connect with professionals in the community. They interviewed two dentists and talked to them about the profession and the challenges and they became acutely aware of disparities in the business world. Especially the challenges faced by small business owners, such as dentists, from underrepresented groups and in geographically distant areas." Scocchia explains.

"It went beyond just learning about how to start a business."

By participating in the Intuit "Lead with a Cause" Social Innovation Challenge, Walters admits it has "opened up her eyes" to the world of business. Before she got involved with the challenge, she says she always had a science focus with an interest in pursuing a career in medicine and becoming a general surgeon. She says that’s still on her radar, but perhaps she’ll also create the next innovative surgical tool for future generations. She’s open to it.

Overall, she found the whole process extremely rewarding for her because it provided exposure to the possibilities that accompany pursuing a business career. From marketing to research, to brainstorming and learning how to price a product. "It was very hard work, but it was an amazing experience! I’m very happy that I got the opportunity to do something like this. It's been very rewarding," says Lenecia.