destination imagination global finals - You can't even imagine

You never know where opportunities will arise. We were so busy at the Westport Maker Faire, building our Global Village with the 13,000 visitors, we didn’t realize we inadvertently chatted with Melissa Frey, head of the Northeast Division of the year-long Destination Imagination Extravaganza. Two weeks later, we found ourselves in Knoxville Tennessee, speaking as panelists to young entrepreneurs about starting up a company. 

ayana and ethan klein of 3dux/design inspire teenage entrepreneurs at Destination Imagination 2018 Global Finals

So, if you haven’t heard of it, Destination Imagination is a Global Celebration of creativity, engineering, technology, math and science (basically - STEAM). Teams across the world compete locally, regionally, and then nationally for the chance to head to the Global Finals that convene at the University of Tennessee Convention Center in Knoxville.

destination imagination and 3Dux/design

Here’s how it went down..

About one week after the Maker Faire, we got an email from Melissa, telling us that she loved our product and teen initiated entrepreneurial spirit of this successful startup. She told us all about DI (Destination Imagination) and invited us to participate in a panel-led discussion on starting a business, following dreams, and the ups and downs that you hit along the way. We thought about it, "Hmmm, miss 2 days of school, get to visit  Knoxville, get VIP status at the Expo, and run a panel?" That was an easy sell.

The panel discussion was a great opportunity to share our experiences starting a company as teens. The other panelists were a tad further ahead in their carriers. We were amongst a woman from NASA, The head of the Boys and Girls Club USA, and TV personalities). The only question that stumped us was, "so are you happy that you followed your childhood dreams and achieved what you set out to in life?"  We were like- umm, we’re only 15 and 18, we haven’t gotten started yet. We did however, offer a unique perspective for the aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience. 

kids at panel discussion DI2018We must have left some impression because back at the 3Dux/design pop-up shop, we found a cute little note of appreciation..

note to ethan klein after leading panel discussion

After our talk, we spent the next day at our booth working with kids, parents and educators building, building, building

ayana klein working at the destination imagination 2018 global finals booth here are some of our favorites

kids building with 3dux/design

3dux/design booth at destination imagination

 In the end, we had kids from over 30 states and 7 countries across the globe working to build our Global Village. 

Oh, and we also had time to enjoy the VIP status with free push-pops

ethan klein of 3Dux/design

Thanks Destination Imagination for inviting us and see you at DI2019!!

 

 

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stem with friends remote playdates

3DuxDesign wants to help keep kids connected. let us host a STEM With Friends Remote Playdate. Send each friend a kit and we will schedule a free design/build activity for you  and 5-10 of your besties  

Contact marci@3duxdesign.com for details

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