L.E. Simmons Family Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Finance

At Kinkaid, we believe that every student has the capacity to lead. By harnessing their unique talents and developing their skills, students become transformational leaders in the classroom, on the field and stage, in the school community, and beyond. CLEF facilitates students’ growth as leaders through classroom instruction, the leadership seminar program, and practical application in student leadership groups on campus.

During 9th grade, all Kinkaid students take Decisions for Healthy Living and Leadership, a semester-long course that, in addition to health and wellbeing topics, teaches students how to harness their strengths and interests to serve as leaders at Kinkaid and beyond. With the goal of helping each student to find the leader within, the course inspires personal leadership development and execution, specifically highlighting the significance of self-awareness, an understanding of group dynamics, and the knowledge of how to lead a team. Through class discussions, activities, readings, projects, and reflection, students learn the fundamentals of leadership and develop interpersonal communication skills, learning how to collaborate with, motivate, and lead others.

Leadership Seminar Program

Throughout the school year, CLEF holds a variety of seminars that feature speakers who are leaders in their respective fields. These have included entrepreneurship, finance, investment banking, nonprofit, energy, engineering, athletics, medicine, military service, education, and religious ministry. In addition to addressing subjects unique to the speakers’ personal experiences, topics of interest include leading with clarity, building a successful culture, civic engagement, leading through both success and failure, mentorship, finding balance, identifying your purpose, leading through conflict, servant leadership, and more. Students who participate in the program by attending and reflecting upon the seminars can qualify for Kinkaid’s Distinction in Leadership honor.

Kinkaid’s formal entrepreneurship offerings begin in middle school, when all 8th grade students take Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Students experience the entrepreneurship journey from ideation to pitch, using the tools and methodologies of real entrepreneurs to bring their business ideas to life while gaining durable leadership skills for the future.

In the Upper School, 10th grade students are encouraged to participate in the Social Innovators Program, sponsored by CLEF and Kinkaid's Service-Learning Program in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice. Kinkaid students join students from across the country for 12 weeks of experiential learning about how entrepreneurial ideas can have a positive impact on the community. The course is taught by U Penn faculty, and students receive U Penn’s Certificate of Social Entrepreneurship upon completion of the program.

Entrepreneurship Incubator: From Idea to Minimum Viable Product is offered to 11th- and 12th-grade students in the Upper School. Working in teams, students identify needs and address those needs by taking products from initial ideation to the in-market minimal viable product stage. The class culminates with the teams pitching their products to the public in a real-world experience at the end of the year. Those teams that get funding for their products can then take the ACCELerator class in 12th grade to bring their products to market. Throughout the Entrepreneurship Program, students are mentored by professionals and taught by subject-matter experts to develop the professional skills they need to succeed in the 21st Century marketplace.

Kinkaid’s Finance Program includes coursework in business, investing, personal finance and financial modeling, in addition to hands-on investing experience. Courses include Fundamentals of Business and Investments and Essentials of Personal Finance and Financial Modeling. 11th and 12th grade students on the Falcon Investment Managers focus on managing a diversified, long-term portfolio while developing leadership, analytical, and decision-making skills. With responsibility for approximately $150,000 of The Kinkaid School Endowment, members research opportunities, evaluate risk, and make decisions with a long-term perspective.

Through an individually structured three-week internship, this practical experience offers an opportunity to explore potential career inclinations. Through workday exposure to the organizational world of making a living — coupled with related reading and research — student interns reinforce skills such as leadership, accountability, analysis, and planning. Internships span a broad spectrum of industry. Though the majority of students remain in Houston, some assume national or international responsibilities.

Questions? Email the Director of Career Development, Martha Kirkwood

Supported by the Alumni Board and the Advancement Office, the extended Kinkaid community offers one-week summer internships with alumni and current parents across a range of industries in Houston. The program provides rising seniors greater opportunity for real world professional experience over the summer. These internships assist with determining student interest level in a field and establish a work history beneficial for both college admission and future job aspirations. Internship opportunities are emailed to eligible students in early spring.