Irvine High School’s Virtual Enterprise Career Technical Education (CTE) team secured a major national achievement, placing third at the 2026 National Youth Business Summit, one of the most competitive student business events in the United States.
The 2026 National Youth Business Summit serves as the overarching national competition, bringing together top student-run firms from across the country. Within the summit, teams choose to compete in specialized business events, ranging from marketing and finance to human resources, each focused on a specific area of business operations. Irvine High School’s team elected to compete in the Human Resources Plan event, where they developed and presented a comprehensive strategy.
From Classroom to National Stage
Virtual Enterprise is designed to simulate the structure and demands of real companies, giving students hands-on experience in various areas. Irvine High students operated two firms this year: Soleus, focused on innovative foot comfort solutions, and ClaroVision, centered on prototyping technologies.
The Soleus team included:
- Sradha Vayalapadu
- Poorna Ayyaswamy
- Zhaodong (Nathan) Tang
- Lakshmi Gattu
While both firms demonstrated strong performance throughout the year, Soleus advanced to the national level. The Human Resource Plan event began with more than 500 submissions from across the country. After earning a wildcard spot at the state competition in Bakersfield, the team secured a national invitation by delivering the top presentation among wildcard entries across all Virtual Enterprise regions.
At the Youth Business Summit in New York City, Soleus entered as an underdog, initially ranked 33rd. Through a series of elimination rounds, they advanced to the top 25, then top 12, and ultimately the top six teams in the nation. After presenting three times in a single day, the team’s preparation and resilience paid off with a third-place national finish.
Leadership Beyond Competition
The summit also showcased student leadership beyond the competition setting. Irvine High senior Shouryan Mohammed served as a Western Region Student Ambassador, one of only three students selected from hundreds of applicants across the West Coast.
In this role, he contributed to the operation of the national event, such as guiding industry professionals, supporting competing teams and assisting with logistics. He also represented Irvine High and its CTE programs to business leaders from across the country, advocating for the value of experiential learning and student-driven enterprise education.
CTE in IUSD
Through CTE courses like Virtual Enterprise, students gain practical skills in communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, which help provide the skills necessary for college, career and life.
Students credited their success to the mentorship and support of Irvine High business CTE advisor Gary Russell, University High School business teacher Olivia Stokes and the District’s CTE department.
To learn more about CTE, visit iusd.org/CTE