Accelerate Fellowship Program
The Accelerate Fellowship connects Skyline students with local business districts that need help with promotion and activation.
Students create new marketing materials, promotional items, and pilot events that local organizations use to help attract customers and build on economic development efforts in their local business communities.
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How it Works
Students are matched with a business district and given a design challenge to help that particular business community. Students spend a few weeks conducting research with professional experts, business owners, potential customers, and other business districts, and exploring analogous situations for inspiration.
Based on what is learned, students then create proposals for projects and pitch them to the client. Students will then receive feedback to help design a new promotion, event, or other activation instrument for the client.
It's a win-win! Students gain valuable experience, and business districts receive new marketing materials, pilot events, or other promotional materials to help generate economic development for their area.
What our students say
This amazing fellowship experience has been a valuable journey that has helped me grow both personally and professionally. I am grateful for the opportunities provided me throughout the semester. I pushed outside my comfort zone, boosted my confidence and expanded my skills significantly. I felt very appreciated as a member of the team, which made this learning experience quite enjoyable. I am confident that the skills and knowledge I acquired will continue to shape my professional trajectory.
- Calista Sherman
I had a great time as a student fellow at BAEC. Initially, I was nervous as an international student with limited English fluency and no business knowledge, but I became confident throughout the program. I even conducted my first interviews. I had never thought I could confidently approach passers-by for an interview. The BAEC Fellowship Program provides valuable skills and boosts my confidence. I'm thankful for this experience and believe future students can benefit just as much.
- Yuting Duan
Accelerate Project Highlights
Reviving Downtown San Bruno with Art
Fellows worked with the Downtown San Bruno Improvement Group to launch a beautification project implementing murals to help revitalize the area. Students worked with local leaders to implement a fundraising campaign, pulic art policy, mural plan, and community engagement. Click here to explore the plan for turning downtown San Bruno into a vibrant communityled art district.
South San Francisco Dining Guide
During the fall of 2023, Fellows worked with the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Renaissance Center to develop a dining guide for local businesses. Students targeted local hotels and tech companies as target audiences of potential new customers that could be encouraged to try local restaurants. The guide will be shared with local companies like Genentech to accompany their support of local businesses as well as printed and placed in local hotels to be shared with guests. Click here to explore.
Travel the World San Bruno
Students created an online travel guide that helps locals explore the world in their own backyard. The guide helps locals try new tastes and dishes from a diversity of cultures that make up the businesses in downtown San Bruno. This guide is promoted at local businesses and at local events to help visitors conitnue to explore and patron local businesses when they are in the area.
Explore the guide at this online flip book or visitsanbruno.com.
For our Partners
We currently partner with these organizations to support local business communities. If you are part of a local business community or organization that supports economic development projects and want to host a cohort, we would love to discuss your project.
Email Leah McGlauchlin at mcglauchlinl@smccd.edu to connect!
For our Students
If you are a Skyline student and want to learn about this program. You can reach out to us via email or apply directly for the next cohort.
Contact baec@smccd.edu or fill out the application below.
