Craig School of Business
Lyles Center For Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Youth (K-12) Programs and Services
Today's entrepreneurs start as today's students.
At the Lyles Center, we believe entrepreneurship is more than building a business. It's about developing confidence, solving problems, communicating ideas, and building meaningful connections.
Where Ideas Meet Opportunity.
Every handshake represents a new connection. Every pitch builds confidence. Every idea has the potential to make an impact.
From Curious Minds to Confident Leaders.
Innovation doesn't begin with a business plan. It begins with curiosity, creativity, and the confidence to explore new ideas. That's why we inspire future entrepreneurs at every age.
The Future Is Built Together.
From the classroom to the competition floor, we're creating opportunities for students to think bigger, solve real world challenges, and discover what's possible through innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Lyles Center's Youth (K–12) programs provide students with opportunities to explore innovation, entrepreneurship, and STEM through hands on learning. By encouraging creativity, collaboration, and problem solving, we help students build the confidence and skills needed to succeed in school, their future careers, and beyond.
The Lyles Center coordinates with Fresno Unified School District’s Expanded Learning department to host fun and engaging week-long summer camps with FUSD elementary students throughout the month of July. These camps stimulate creative thinking by having students participate in engaging projects that require creativity, teamwork, and developing innovative ideas. During each activity, students learn to apply creativity and teamwork to solve a particular problem. Students design models, make observations, and communicate their ideas and findings, while thinking through real world problems.
Parents, be on the lookout for FUSD Expanded Learning’s summer catalog to enroll your child in our summer camps! Grade-levels can vary year to year.
Previous Titles Include: STEAM Tunnels, Young Engineers!, Young Innovators
For up-to-date information about FUSD Summer Camps, please contact the Expanded Learning office at 559.248.7560, or expandedlearning@fresnounified.org
Teaching How Innovation Nurtures Knowledge (THINK)
Exploring Careers Through Design Challenges - Grades 3-6
The THINK Program is a hands-on, career-focused challenge series where students tackle real-world problems using the engineering design process. The activities integrate STEM, engineering, and innovation, while connecting students to career pathways supported by Fresno Unified’s Office of College and Career Readiness. Offering one lesson per semester to 3rd-6th grade classes, each Challenge is led in the classroom by Lyles Center Program Assistants when teachers register their class to participate. The program culminates each May with Innovation Day at the Save Mart Center, where students showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills in a large-scale competition with their peers.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Kristo Bocanegra: kbocanegra@mail.fresnostate.edu
Ilsle Garcia: Ilseg@mail.fresnostate.edu
Kelly Cruz: kellycruzjr@mail.fresnostate.edu
Thalia Garcia: thaliag@mail.fresnostate.edu
Innovation Day brings students together for an exciting competition focused on engineering, innovation, and career exploration - Grades 3-6
The event serves as the culmination of the Teaching How Innovation Nurtures Knowledge
(THINK) Program, where students explore career pathways through hands-on, engineering-based
activities. During the competition, students collaborate to solve creative design
challenges and present their ideas before judges, family, and friends.
Sweet Potato Project
In collaboration with West Fresno Family Resource Center, the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship assists with Phase 1 of the Sweet Potato Project. During Phase 1 in late spring, students (typically ages 11-18) learn about urban agriculture, sustainability, responsibility, and the needs of the community. During this time, students plant sweet potato slips on an acre of land in southwest Fresno, as generously donated by agricultural leaders. By early July, students attend entrepreneurial and business workshops taught at California State University, Fresno with the Lyles Center. Participants learn about creating a pitch-style business plan for turning sweet potatoes into a product that can be marketed to the public. This phase concludes with a pitch competition at Fresno State for participating student teams to present their sweet potato products to an audience of family members, community leaders, and peers.
For more information or to register your child, visit the West Fresno Family Resource Center or call 559.374.5750.
Solving Today's Entrepreneurial Puzzle (STEP) - Grades 9-12
The STEP program was designed to develop the entrepreneurial mindset in high school students — to get them to THINK and ENGAGE in charting their future. The program is delivered over the school year and is designed for teachers to "plug and play" the assignments into their teaching schedule. The Lyles Center works directly with each instructor through regularly scheduled training sessions to ensure a perfect fit for each unique classroom. The curriculum goes beyond writing a business plan — students learn about crowd-sourcing strategies, pricing, online marketing and social media tactics. Through fun and relevant activities, students gain the confidence to launch a business enterprise or social movement venture. As part of the program students participate in activities at Fresno State, including a team-building field trip to the Ropes Course in the fall and a Communications seminar in the spring. Finally, students showcase their hard work at the final competition and compete for cash prizes!
Volunteer
Are you looking for rewarding community service hours? Are you a business major looking
for exposure in entrepreneurship? Volunteer with Lyles Center STEP (High School Program).
For more information, please contact Anna Borgeas, Program Coordinator: aborgeas@csufresno.edu