High school is a period of growth and opportunity for students. As students tackle all of life’s responsibilities, they also start to have their own personal expenses. Some teenagers decide to find a job down the street at the nearest grocery store or bussing tables at a restaurant.

However, three Mount Michael students decided to start their own business so that they can work on their own terms, whenever they feel like it. These entrepreneurs include juniors Noah Trueman and Terry Le, and sophomore Brian Ostrander.

Trueman is known for his love and knowledge of all things technology. In late September Trueman purchased a new 3D printer and had the idea to put his design skills to use by creating products he believed others could find useful.

Trueman 3D Print Shop has since made book page holders, customizable QR code stands, cord hangers, and other custom requests.

Trueman has found it quite easy to focus on his business, school, and other extracurricular activities, all at the same time. “As long as I focus on one thing at a time and block my time out beforehand, then it is never really an issue,” Trueman said.

Le started his jewelry business, Yutori Jewelry, about a month ago and has been working extremely hard designing and creating new ideas as often as possible. On top of school work, he spends his evenings crafting new pieces.

Le’s idea to start making jewelry stemmed from his love of collecting jewelry, and he was hoping to try something new and give himself a new challenge. Since it is currently the offseason for cross country, Le has been able to devote most of his free time to growing his business. “I hope to grow it to where I can do drops since I see it more as art, instead of just jewelry,” Le said.

Ostrander decided to start his own clothing line, WVE Apparel. Ostrander created this business in late July of 2023 with Skutt Catholic sophomore Shea Speicher.

“As my personal expenses have been growing, I decided to try to find a way to make money that would work with my busy schedule,” Ostrander said.

While the others use this as their main source of income, Ostrander has a different view on his business. “It’s a side hustle, and it always will be a side hustle. I do hope to hold on to it for as long as possible, especially through college,” Ostrander said.

While some students fall into the social norms of getting a typical, minimum wage job, these students have gone a different route, learning many lessons in independence and creativity.