Matthew DeSantis
CEO | Co-Founder
Our Story
Founded in 2020 to empower high-potential students, the Teen Think Tank Project’s mission is to develop today’s teens into tomorrow’s leaders who will create a more positive and sustainable world for everyone. Our programs provide the next generation of leaders and advocates with the academic, emotional and practical skills needed to not only understand today’s societal issues, but also change them.
The Teen Think Tank Project created an innovative curriculum that provides high-potential teens with the opportunity to develop the intellectual humility, growth mindset, and leadership skills necessary for them to achieve the academic, personal, and professional goals that they seek to attain. This experience provides high school students with the environment and support needed to develop a voice in the world they will inherit.
Our Team
Kelly Nagle
Co-Founder
Bernadette Sheehan
Student Relations
Erica Friedhoff, LSW, VSW
Research Coordinator
Our Oustanding Research Associates
All of the teens that come through our program are exceptional in one way or another. Each is a high-achieving high school student. The teens that enroll in our Change Agent Academy, an intensive 60-hour research cohort exploring social justice issues they are passionate about, are the best of the best. Even among this collection of academic all-stars, there is one exceptional research associate that stands out in every cohort. We would like to introduce you to these teens. Please meet our Outstanding Research Cohort Scholarship recipients. Check out our research portfolio for a complete roster of our program alumni.
Outstanding Research Associates
8 Videos
Our Alumni on Campus
Stanford University practices a holistic admission process where they “want to see the kind of curiosity and enthusiasm that will allow you to spark a lively discussion in a freshman seminar and continue the conversation at a dinner table,” This idea of engagement and openness to learning from others is a key indicator of a growth mindset, and that is what what we do!
Check out how our alumni have used their time at the Teen Think Tank Project to catapult them to their next academic and professional challenges or connect with them via our Research Cohort pages to see what great things they are working on today.
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Brown University
Cornell University
UCLA
University of Notre Dame
University of Toronto
Georgetown University
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
University of California - San Diego
Georgia Tech
Rutgers University
Lehigh University
Spelman College
Penn State University
University of Pittsburgh
Drexel University
R.I.T.
University of South Carolina
University of Georgia
The College of New Jersey
New York Institute of Technology
Seton Hall University
East Carolina University
Hofstra University
Lake Erie College of Medicine
Muhlenberg College
Loyola University (MD)
Ramapo College
Our Community
It takes a village to raise a change agent! Luckily, we have a community of thought leaders, advocates, activists, and subject-matter experts who have graced us with their knowledge, wisdom, passion, time, and talents. Whether serving as lecturers, program contributors, or podcast guests, these individuals have helped us create a truly unique community where advocates work alongside aspiring change agents. This community is a key component in our mission to help teens develop a voice in the world they will inherit.
In addition to these influential change agents, we have had dozens of thought leaders that have lent their time and talents to our program and made themselves accessible to our change agents, creating a community of social justice advocates like no other!
Our Partners
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County invited us to help execute their Teens Take the Lead program, where exceptional teens throughout the Jersey Shore come together to identify, research, and develop a solution to real issues negatively affecting their community. The 9-month program empowered teens to define and evaluate their own “community” en route to identifying a social issue that was impeding progress. Students then conducted research, develop a plan, and conducted a service learning project to address that specific issue.
While we work primarily with college-bound teens, our expertise does not involve traditional college prep services. College admission counseling, SAT/ACT prep, and tutoring are not services we can provide our students. That is why I am thrilled we are partnering with Livius Prep, a leader in academic support, test prep, and college counseling with 40 years of helping college-bound teens achieve their goals. Teen Think Tank Project alumni receive 15% off Livius test prep and college admission counseling services.
The Tuxedo (NY) Union Free School District invited us to lead their teen change agents in their inaugural Summer Bridge & Ed Camp held at George F. Baker High School in the summer of 2021. The program, which was launched to help combat learning loss after the pandemic, featured our first-ever in-person administration of our Change Agent Academy.
We first met Professor Donna Gallup, EdD, LSW, during our 2021 Financial Stability Research Cohort. The relationship soon blossomed into a partnership when we teamed with her and her Master of Social Work students to conduct research on the effects our programming has on the development of intellectual humility (a leading indicator for the capacity of a growth mindset) in high school students.
Your Future
Take the first step in learning how our programs help high-potential high school students become teen change agents.
The best way to learn more about our program is to schedule an informational interview with our Co-Founder, Matt DeSantis. During this brief conversation, you and Matt will discuss what you can expect from our programming, what our alums are doing once they graduate, and what you can do to develop a voice in the world you will inherit.
When you schedule your interview, you can invite your adult into the conversation. In addition, you can add a few friends to the chat. You can even schedule a meeting for your entire class/club. But the important thing to remember is that to develop your voice as a change agent, you must first enter the conversation!