You Don't Have to Wait Until After College to Build Something That Matters

Here's something most high school students don't hear enough: you're ready now.

Not "ready to prepare for the future." Not "ready to start thinking about college." Ready to build, create, experiment, and connect with the people who are actually doing the work you want to do someday.

That's the whole idea behind Beyond Now Summit—a one-day event happening in New York City on March 7th that's designed to give high school students something they almost never get: real access.

The Only Conference of Its Kind for High School Students

There's simply nothing else like Beyond Now Summit. While college students have countless industry conferences and networking events available to them, high school students are typically relegated to generic college fairs and classroom visits. Beyond Now changes that entirely.

This is a conference built exclusively for high school students—not watered down, not simplified, but genuinely designed to give ambitious teens the same caliber of access and engagement that college students and young professionals typically enjoy. It's industry-leading speakers, intimate breakout sessions, and real conversations about real careers, all created specifically with high schoolers in mind.

What Actually Happens

Beyond Now isn't people lecturing from a stage. It's three stages at The Times Center where high school students choose their own path based on what they actually care about. They move between sessions based on their interests, their questions, their curiosity.

Want to understand how someone becomes "Head of Brand Marketing" at Shopify? There's a breakout session for that. Curious about what the "Einstein of Wall Street" (iconic NYSE trader Peter Tuchman) actually does all day? Students can ask him directly. Interested in how Jordan Matter built a YouTube channel with 34 million subscribers while working with his daughter? He's the keynote speaker, and yes, there's time for real conversation.

The lineup also includes Max Siegelman (founder of NYC streetwear brand Siegelman Stable), Kenny Dichter (founder of Wheels Up and Marquis Jet), Brianna LaPaglia from Barstool Sports, and leaders from companies like Snap, DoorDash, Acorns, T-Mobile, and the Chicago Bulls.

These aren't people who retired twenty years ago and now give motivational talks. They're actively building companies, closing deals, creating content that reaches millions. They're navigating the same chaotic, rapidly changing world today's students are about to enter.

The Part That Actually Matters

High school students today are hard to impress. They've grown up watching world-class creators on YouTube. They can spot corporate BS from a mile away. They don't need another adult telling them to "follow your dreams."

What they need is context.

They need to hear about the pivots, the failures, the moment someone took a risk that seemed insane but eventually worked. They need to understand that "founder" isn't some mythical title—it's often just someone who started building something before they felt ready.

That's what Beyond Now is really about. It's showing high school students the actual path, not the sanitized LinkedIn version. It's giving them permission to experiment now, to start building now, to reach out and make connections now.

Why Access Changes Everything

Traditional events for high school students keep a safe distance between students and speakers. There might be a Q&A session if time allows, or a networking reception where everyone awkwardly tries to make small talk.

Beyond Now flips that model entirely. The entire event is built around intimate breakout sessions, structured meet-and-greets, and candid conversations. High school students aren't watching from the back of an auditorium—they're sitting across the table asking questions about real challenges, real failures, and what actually worked.

This kind of access demystifies success. It shows that the people leading companies and creating content that reaches millions are humans who made mistakes, pivoted when things didn't work, and often started with less certainty than you might think.

This level of direct, meaningful engagement with industry leaders simply doesn't exist anywhere else for high school students. Beyond Now Summit fills that gap.

Why Now Matters

Here's the reality: the timeline of "wait until college, then wait until graduation, then start your career" doesn't match how industries actually work anymore. Some of the most successful founders started building in high school. Content creators found their audiences before finishing their degree. Entrepreneurs began experimenting with ideas while still figuring out calculus homework.

Beyond Now Summit is designed to show high school students what's possible when ambition meets access. It's about sparking confidence and curiosity, encouraging experimentation, and helping students develop skills they can use immediately—not someday in the distant future.

From Inspiration to Action

This isn't just motivational speaking. If a high school student discovers a passion for entrepreneurship during a morning breakout session, the afternoon workshops give them concrete next steps. If someone realizes they want to explore content creation after hearing from Jordan Matter, they leave with contacts, ideas, and the confidence to experiment.

Beyond Now Summit is built as a launchpad—not just a place to get inspired, but a place to gain the tools, connections, and clarity needed to actually start building something meaningful.

The Practical Details

Beyond Now Summit NYC 2026

• When: Saturday, March 7, 2026 (11 AM - 5 PM)

• Where: The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, NYC

• Who: Exclusively for high school students

• Tickets: Available now at beyondnowsummit.com

Additional speakers are being announced in the weeks leading up to the event. High school students can already grab tickets, map out their day, and prioritize which sessions align with their interests.

A Unique Opportunity

Powered by Summer Discovery—an organization with almost 60 years of experience creating immersive educational programs for students worldwide—Beyond Now Summit represents something that simply hasn't existed before: a true industry conference designed exclusively for high school students.

This isn't another generic student event. It's a front-row, hands-on experience that treats high school students like the capable, ambitious future leaders they are, giving them direct access to the people shaping the industries they care about.

There's nothing else like it. And that's exactly the point.

Icons from all industries. High school students from all over. One day that could change everything.