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In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Samantha Lurie Carroll and Sylvester Chisom, co-founders of Show Me The World Project, to share how a single school trip idea grew into a multi-city nonprofit helping high school students from under-resourced communities see – and shape – the world. They walk through the journey from a “show me Costa Rica” classroom project to a yearlong program that blends leadership development, entrepreneurship, workforce skills, and first-time international travel, plus the student-driven coffee business that emerged from a visit to a Costa Rican farm.

Samantha and Sylvester also open up about the real behind-the-scenes work of going from scraping together $2,500 grants to securing six-figure investments, building a trusted brand, and “responsibly replicating” their model beyond St. Louis without losing their roots in student voice and community.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• How students’ reactions to an inequitable “school swap” experience sparked the original vision for Show Me The World Project
• What a yearlong leadership, entrepreneurship, and global learning journey actually looks like for high school students in St. Louis and Kansas City
• How a visit to a coffee farm turned into a student-led social enterprise and the Show Me The Cause fundraising platform
• The mindset shifts and concrete steps that helped Show Me The World move from tiny grassroots grants to major foundation investments
• Why honoring your word, embracing “no” as fuel for innovation, and adding earned revenue are core to building a resilient, mission-driven nonprofit

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