How I Got Here
Learning by Doing: Kelsey Kolmansburger Is Exploring the World of Entrepreneurship
May 28, 2026
Throughout her time in the Parks Jr. High Encore Program, Kelsey Kolmansburger discovered that some of the best learning happens through experience. From building with teammates during collaborative challenges to serving real customers at Parkchella, she embraced opportunities to learn while having fun. Along the way, Kelsey gained a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship, economics, and the stock market, while discovering that running a business is often more complex than it appears. Her journey reflects a growing curiosity, a passion for learning, and an eagerness to continue exploring what it takes to turn ideas into reality.
“We got to interact with real-life customers and feel the rush of making stuff while customers are waiting.”
- Kelsey Kolmansburger
INFINNOVATE: What is your favorite part of Infinovate or Encore this year?
KELSEY KOLMANSBURGER: My favorite part, I'd say, would probably be when we did like group activities like building those Legos or like the Monopoly game, where you get to learn stuff while also making it fun.
INFINNOVATE: What is something you learned this year that you didn't expect?
KELSEY KOLMANSBURGER: I learned about like a lot more about economies and how they like function, like the stock market, how we did the pretend economy, and the like hotel and all that stuff that was really fun, and I didn't expect to learn that.
INFINNOVATE: And what was your favorite project or event this past year?
KELSEY KOLMANSBURGER: I would say Parkchella it was really fun because we got to, like, interact with, like, real-life customers, and we got to actually make bracelets for them in real time, and we got to, like, feel, like, the rush of, like, making stuff while customers are waiting.
INFINNOVATE: And how did this program help you grow?
KELSEY KOLMANSBURGER: I think this program helped me grow because in my life, I kind of want to become an entrepreneur, and it kind of helped me realize all the different aspects of it and just like further grow my knowledge and all those different areas.
INFINNOVATE: Did this program make you think differently about business, leadership, money, or your future?
KELSEY KOLMANSBURGER: Yeah, I think it did make me think a lot differently. It made me think that things are actually harder than what I saw, and like the stock market, one was really cool because we had to learn all about that, and that made me think differently because I didn't really know too much about that either