Show Me The World Co-Founders, Samantha Lurie Carroll & Sylvester Chisom
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The Square Pizza podcast focuses on the intersection of education, innovation, and diversity. We host and interview leaders doing incredible work around the country to ensure all students have access to an equitable education. The Square Pizza podcast is hosted by SchermCo, a social-impact implementation firm that offers strategic implementation and project management services to schools and education-focused organizations across the country.
In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Samantha Lurie Carroll and Sylvester Chisom, co-founders of Show Me The World Project, to share how a single school trip idea grew into a multi-city nonprofit helping high school students from under-resourced communities see – and shape – the world. They walk through the journey from a “show me Costa Rica” classroom project to a yearlong program that blends leadership development, entrepreneurship, workforce skills, and first-time international travel, plus the student-driven coffee business that emerged from a visit to a Costa Rican farm.
Samantha and Sylvester also open up about the real behind-the-scenes work of going from scraping together $2,500 grants to securing six-figure investments, building a trusted brand, and “responsibly replicating” their model beyond St. Louis without losing their roots in student voice and community.
In this episode, you’ll learn more about:
How students’ reactions to an inequitable “school swap” experience sparked the original vision for Show Me The World Project
What a yearlong leadership, entrepreneurship, and global learning journey actually looks like for high school students in St. Louis and Kansas City
How a visit to a coffee farm turned into a student-led social enterprise and the Show Me The Cause fundraising platform
The mindset shifts and concrete steps that helped Show Me The World move from tiny grassroots grants to major foundation investments
Why honoring your word, embracing “no” as fuel for innovation, and adding earned revenue are core to building a resilient, mission-driven nonprofit
