NANTICOKE – On May 6, 2026, two Greater Nanticoke Area high school students participated in the Dream, Learn, Pitch competition at Penn State University Main Campus. Ashley Brassington and Emilie Danko walked out of this competition victorious with a 5th-place overall award.
According to Dream, Learn, Pitch, “Our program exposes middle and high school students to the world of entrepreneurship and small business. Anyone can read a book about entrepreneurship – we want students to experience it instead! Through experiential learning, we emphasize critical and creative thinking, problem solving, flexibility, resilience, a growth mindset, and the ability to manage risk and uncertainty – attributes also integral to STEM endeavors.”
After their exciting accomplishment, The GNA Insider was able to ask Ashley and Emilie about their experience throughout the competition.
When asked what inspired them to create and submit their pitch for the competition, both responded with one teacher: Mr. Figlerski. “Mr. Fig encouraged us to look for a problem that affected us daily, and Ashley and I agreed that every day we see the effects of dehydration in our lives, specifically at school,” said Danko.
“Honestly, we kinda did it as a joke. Mr. Fig was talking about Dream, Learn, Pitch, and we just started brainstorming dumb ideas. I think we started by talking about some kind of paper plate, then I came up with the idea that became Sip & Save,” Brassington told The GNA Insider.
The two came up with the idea of Sip & Save, a vending machine that would provide you with your own personal water bottle once you scanned your I.D. badge. Once the school day was finished, you would return your bottle to the machine to be cleaned and ready for the next day.
To Ashley and Emilie’s surprise, their prototype interested the panel of judges so much that they were chosen 2nd in the state of Pennsylvania to attend the grand finale competition located in State College, PA!
When told the two girls would be moving forward within the competition, they were beyond thrilled and excited. “It was incredible. Mr. Fig called our homeroom, but we weren’t told why, just that one of us had needed to answer the phone. Emilie was the one to do it; I didn’t think anything of it. The next thing I remember was running up to her and asking if we won. After she got off the phone, we just started jumping up and down. It was such an amazing feeling,” said Ashley.
Emilie told us she was stunned and thrilled. “When Ashley and I submitted our project, we didn’t expect to hear back from the Dream, Learn, Pitch organizers. I think the fact that it was so unexpected made it that much more exciting.”
When The GNA Insider asked, “What was it like competing against students from across the country?” Emilie told us, “It was a surprise. We thought the competition was limited to students in Pennsylvania, so you can imagine our shock when we found out we were competing against teams from across the country, including ones from Indiana, Texas, and California.”
Ashley also told us that it was definitely a surprise. “We went in thinking it was only kids from PA. So walking in to find out there were kids from Texas and Indiana was very shocking. It made getting 5th place even better, in my opinion.”
Together as a team, both Danko and Brassington took 5th place out of the entire country and represented GNA with such a high honor. With this award, The GNA Insider asked how it feels knowing they represented GNA at such an amazing competition.
“It’s always a privilege to represent GNA. On this occasion, though, even before we got an award, I felt that Ashley and I did GNA proud. We put our all into the pitch, and we were happy with the outcome,” Emilie said.
“It feels unreal to be the ones able to get the school name out there and expand the school in such a positive way,” said Brassington.
Ashley and Emilie’s fifth-place finish is something our school community can celebrate. Their hard work, teamwork, and dedication paid off as they competed against talented students from across the country. While bringing home a top-five finish was exciting, both agreed that the experience itself – meeting new people, sharing their ideas, and learning from others – was just as valuable.
Their success shows what can happen when students are willing to take a chance on their ideas and put in the effort to make them a reality. As they look ahead to future opportunities, their achievement serves as a reminder that big ideas and persistence can lead to incredible results.
