Charger Spotlight: Emmie Bucek
Photo submitted by Emmie Bucek.
A huge congratulations to Hamilton freshman Emmie Bucek for being recognized as one of three winners of the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition! The statewide Kwik Trip Innovation Competition challenges students from 6th through 12th grade to present a marketing plan for visions of new products to be sold in Kwik Trip stores. Bucek’s “Share Your Plate Program” was envisioned and created from her own experience and gratitude for planned meals. The program focuses on bundling ingredients for recipes to make preparation of meals more convenient for citizens and families.
You can view Bucek’s “Share Your Plate Program” pitch here!
Check out a celebration of Emmie Bucek’s achievement and the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition here!
What are you involved in—inside and outside of school?
In school, I am involved in numerous clubs such as Best Buddies, where I support those with special needs, Amplify to support female athletes, Leo Club to help out my community at volunteer events, and more to have fun and make new friends, while also making a difference in the community to improve the lives of others. I am also a lacrosse player for our Hamilton Chargers team and I love how many connections I have built with my teammates this season. Outside of school I love to travel, and spend time with my family, friends, and my two dogs Bailey and Noodlez.
What was the most challenging part of creating the “Share Your Plate Program?”
The most challenging part about creating this program was making sure it was realistic and interesting enough for a business as big as Kwik Trip to consider trying out. Although the end result turned out to be what I wanted, along the way I noticed some things didn’t make sense or didn’t look right to me which was frustrating. After a while, I reached a point of satisfaction which made all the frustration worth it.
How did your idea change or evolve while preparing for this competition?
When I first started working on this project, I struggled to come up with an idea. I originally thought of making a food truck for Kwik Trip, but as I began to add details to my rough draft, I realized that I wanted to provide an idea that offered more convenience to customers. The idea for the Share Your Plate Program came to me because my family and I had been relying on planned meal kits for easy recipes during busy times.
If you were to turn this product into a real company, what would the first step be?
I would want to interview people personally to figure out what details would matter to them to make sure I’d be giving the customers what they wanted.
What was your favorite part of the competition process?
My favorite part of this competition process was the day I submitted the video of my pitch to Wisconsin Business World. I got to review my finished work one last time and submitting it felt accomplishing and exciting.
Where do you see yourself after graduating high school?
After high school, I see myself in college somewhere out of Wisconsin to find out more about what I want to do in the future and where I want to spend my time. Although I’m not sure what career path I will end up taking, I want to be creative and helpful to others.
How did it feel to win as a freshman competing against older competitors?
As a freshman, this year has been all about building new relationships with people and growing as a person through knowledge and experience. This allowed me to practice all of those things which in itself felt rewarding. When I thought about the older people who may have competed as well I was very proud of myself for even taking on this challenge in the first place and not letting that intimidate me. It gets me excited for future opportunities that may come up as I get older since this is just the start of high school.
Has this competition changed how you see your future or career goals?
While this competition hasn’t given me any clear answers on what career I want to pursue, it has verified that I want to continue learning after high school and gain new experiences in college.
If you had unlimited resources, how would you scale this idea?
If I were to create this into an actual business I would want to collaborate with services like food pantries to donate a certain amount of our meal kits to those in need. This way not only are customers benefitting, but people with little access to food are expanding the variety of foods they can enjoy.
What’s your go-to comfort activity after something stressful?
Sometimes when I’m stressed I spend time with my family, other times I practice for lacrosse, and most of the time I just spend time with my dogs.
What’s your absolute favorite meal that you’d want every Kwik Trip customer to try?
My family has a recipe for cream cheese chicken crescent rolls which has been my go-to birthday meal for years, and I would hope other families enjoy it as much as my family does.
What part of this experience means the most to you personally?
This experience means a lot to me because I was able to take something that had personally helped my family and I to solve a problem that other people may face too. It lifted me up knowing that my ideas can make a difference in my community.
Who supported you the most throughout this process, and how?
My parents were most supportive of me during this project because they would review the work I had done, and motivate me to continue working on it when I would get frustrated or tired. This was helpful because it showed me that even if I didn’t win, I would still be learning from my mistakes and using this to grow in the future.
Any advice for aspiring business students?
Try your best to step out of your comfort zone when interesting opportunities come your way. It can allow you to learn and grow as a student and you can apply those experiences to future projects.
