Former dual-enrollment student Amanda Moores knew that entrepreneurship was her calling after she began selling hand-made jewelry at the age of 13.

Now, at 18 years old, she has created a wellness platform with the help of the SBCC Scheinfeld Center and hopes to help students nationwide.

“I wanted to create a helpful tool,” Moores said regarding Flora, the digital wellness platform she wants to design.

“A lot of people my age experience stress,” she added.

Moores’s idea is to create a program that aids college students in managing stress. It would be used as a supplemental program within the counseling department at colleges and universities to connect to students.

Running her own jewelry store at such a young age inspires Moores to become an entrepreneur like her parents.

“I learned a lot from my parents about business,” Moores said. “It was a lot of fun.”

The Scheinfeld Center, which helps students develop their entrepreneurial skills, invited students from San Marcos High School to pitch ideas. 

Moores was in her junior year taking a business class when the center came, and although she didn’t have a definitive idea, she knew what subject she wanted to focus on. 

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew it would have something to do with wellness,” Moores said. 

Her idea was amongst the 10 chosen by the center, allowing her to develop her project.

“I don’t look at my age to define what I can and can not do,” she said. 

Julie Samson, director of the Scheinfeld Center, said the center is honored to have given a platform to Moores. 

“Amanda beautifully exemplifies the entrepreneurial mindset and spirit required for entrepreneurial success,” she said. “She impressed our independent judges with her knowledge and professionalism.”

Moores said the center gave her a “huge comfort boost,” and that she wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the competition.

As Moores worked on the project, she quickly began to realize she needed more money.

“I needed to apply for grants to make my dream come true,” Moores said.

A year into her project, she received the “Girl Empowerment Grant” from a girl-focused empowerment competition.

Over 5,000 women from 18 to 25 years old competed for the grant, and Moores was amongst the 20 chosen.

Moores has taken a gap year after finishing high school and spends most of her days at Kiva Cowork, a place where people can work and connect with other locals, share ideas and network. She gives her full attention to developing the platform, interviewing counselors and therapists from universities all over.

“I wanted to learn more from the community,” she said. “[Kiva] offers mentors, and that really helped me.”

The Scheinfeld Center remains a resource for her, as well as the “Built By Girls” network group, an engineering community for women who receive access to advisors and resources. In this group, she is paired with mentors from Facebook and Uber.

She hopes to have the platform up and running and sent it to two local universities by June.

“I’m very busy, but I love it,” she said.