Online school enables student to compete in UC business program

Jacob Meadows of Loveland is a junior at Ohio Connections Academy. He enrolled in the online public charter school last year to take advantage of Ohio’s College Credit Plus program. With the schedule flexibility that attending an online school provides, Jacob is able to take college courses at Sinclair Community College.

"The resources and opportunities provided at OCA, due to their flexibility and willingness to work with students individually, has allowed me to pursue my personal goals and to thrive in my endeavors," said Jacob. By the end of this school year, he will have earned enough credits to receive his Associates in Liberal Arts degree.

This is pretty much the same path his older sister took before she graduated Ohio Connections Academy. She is now attending the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business and will graduate with a double major due to the credits she earned while still in high school

The flexibility that Ohio Connections Academy provides also enabled Jacob to participate in a program at the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Commercialization called “Launch.” This 9-week program gives high school students the opportunity to experience the world of business by exploring the local business environment. Participants engage in a university level curriculum, visit companies around Cincinnati and develop and present their business ideas to real entrepreneurs and investors in a “Shark Tank” type competition held by the University.

Jacob and his team created a business plan for a web-based health care company that brings together patient and practitioner with a focus on efficiency and convenience. The business application is called Bridge and it provides universal forms, doctor reviews, and appointment reminders among other services with a focus to bring back “personal care” to the medical field.