UMSSW students joined peers from across UMB at Grid Pitch 2026, the Graduate Research Innovation District’s annual showcase for student entrepreneurship and social innovation. Over six weeks, participating teams received mentorship, seed funding, and feedback from industry and community leaders to develop ventures that address real-world health and social challenges.
Three UMSSW students were among this year’s largest-ever Grid Pitch cohort, each transforming lived experience into a mission-driven venture. In the Venture track, Jade Nesbitt presented Black Ass Camping Experiences (BACE), an outdoor wellness initiative that creates safe, community-centered outdoor experiences for Black communities, expanding access to nature, adventure, and collective healing. In the Vision track, Terrena Williams pitched the Power and Purpose Leadership Program, a nonprofit model that supports youth aging out of foster care through mentorship, life-skills training, and leadership development to promote long-term stability. Augustina Quesada, a dual student with the School of Social Work and the Robert H. Smith School of Business, shared Harmony Healing Hub, a community-centered wellness and retreat model that helps adults manage stress, trauma, and loneliness through immersive, group-based healing experiences and sustained support.
Grid Pitch 2026 featured 12 student ventures across two tracks—Vision and Venture—with participants receiving $2,000 or $2,250 in seed funding to advance their ideas. Held April 23 at the Grid in the Health Sciences and Human Services Library, the event emphasized celebration over competition and underscored how social work students are leveraging entrepreneurial tools, racial equity, and trauma-informed practice to build more just and connected communities.