Mackenzie Galli a semifinalist in Fairleigh Dickinson University innovation contest

2014 Apr 18

Point Pleasant Borough High School Senior, Mackenzie Galli, of Point Pleasant, NJ, has been recognized as a semifinalist in Fairleigh Dickinson University's Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship's 2014 New Jersey Idea Competition.

Galli's idea was Everything-In-One College Checklist.

In Galli's own words: A website that has all of your college applying necessities. Similar to The Common App, this will be a website that has everything in one. One main application including other required questions/essays by the colleges. The website will also include a checklist of everything needed and when they are needed by each school. You will also be able to send your testing scores straight from this website, opposed from College Board. The FAFSA will be able to also be directly sent from this. One major difference this website has than other college application websites is that the schools will be able to post your decision right there on it when it's made. This makes it easier for the student so they don't have to have many different accounts on all different college websites. Also, it's a faster way to find out instead of waiting for the mail to come. The students will have to make their own account, but it will be free to join. The way the website will make money will be by advertising. The money sent in by the students to actually apply will of course be sent to the colleges directly.

The contest is an annual competition designed to help foster an entrepreneurial mindset among all New Jersey high school students. Divided into Northern, Central, and Southern regions, more than 800 students across the state submitted more than 520 ideas this year. Each region had a winner (Northern had two), four finalists, and eight semifinalists.

Part of FDU's Silberman College of Business since 1989, the mission of the Rothman Institute for Entrepreneurship is to teach and support entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic, business and nonprofit communities. An outstanding entrepreneurship curriculum taught by an excellent faculty has helped make the academic program among the top 20 in the nation (as ranked by the Princeton Review). For more information, go to www.fdu.edu/rothman.