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What started as an assignment in an American Studies class has taken 14-year-old Delayna Sotock on an unexpected whirlwind journey to a national competition and could lead to even bigger things in the future
On June 15 and 16, Sotock — an eighth-grader at the time at Shore Middle School in Mentor — took the national stage at the Mott Million Dollar Challenge Finals in Michigan, a nationwide pitch competition funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation as part of its centennial celebration
More than 5,300 students from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., submitted over 3,700 ideas to the Challenge. From those entries, only 60 semifinalist submissions made the cut
Students presented real business concepts and social solutions addressing mental health, waste reduction, community building and more
Sotock initially submitted a short video as part of her assignment in Shawn Toot’s class as an idea for a sports shoe cover allowing athletes to wear their cleats and walk on concrete and other hard surfaces without wearing down or dulling the bottom of the spikes
It was a concept she had for a while and decided to go all in when the opportunity presented itself
“It started in my American Studies class and it is an idea I have had for a while, so I thought this was a perfect chance to execute the pitch,” Sotock said. “We submitted the videos and I was actually at track practice when I checked my email and found out I was going to the national competition and won $5,000. It was insane. I almost couldn’t process it. I don’t think even my teacher knew you could win that much money.”
Initially, Sotock used a rubber shoe sole to make a prototype for the video and eventually used a 3D printer for the more advanced model used at the competition
At the competition, students were split into groups by grade with Sotock in the 5 through 8 grouping and presenting in the business category as opposed to social
As one of 60 students to make the semifinal cut, Sotock said she was happy to have the chance to speak with entrepreneurs from different fields and become even more passionate to see her idea move forward
“It was a great opportunity to talk to people, like one was a former basketball player and I appreciated his ideas,” said Sotock, who will be attending Mentor High School as a freshman and intends to run track. “I look forward now to keep working on it, especially with the money I won. It is all so exciting.”
