Representing the Farmington High School business program, senior Lauren Simonian is the President of Deskable, a product developed through the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship Academy (JA). Deskable is a folding, transportable desk to assist students with academic pursuits in their busy lives and is available for all students to purchase.  

 To put it simply, Deskable is a typical desk but is built to fold up for easy storage and transportation. The company noticed the abundance of children and adults completing school and work from home due to the pandemic and created a product that could provide an adequate work space. The group of students conquered obstacles to work together throughout the entire development process in order to create the best product possible. 

“Some of the hardest things were finding a time that we all could commit to outside of our weekly meetings. Since everything is now online, it did make it easier to hold a quicker meeting, but also we were unable to connect with one another. We are very fortunate to be able to work with leaders from Pratt & Whitney who guided us through this process. They held lectures and provided additional information that we needed to launch a business,” Simonian said. 

The JA is a non-profit organization for youth interested in pursuing entrepreneurship and business. Simonian was nominated by the business department to attend the academy and eventually was named President of the Deskable company. She worked with students across Connecticut to manage finance, marketing, and supply, while learning from mentors at Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace manufacturer in East Hartford. 

“I love the entrepreneurial academy. The students who participate speak very highly of the experience and the opportunities they are given. Many of our students run for management positions within their company and some have even brought their product to compete on the national level. You cannot simulate that kind of experience for a high school student,” business teacher Jeff Daddio said. 

Before the initial launch of Deskable, the group reached out to high school students from different school districts in order to better understand their target audience and adjust the product to tailor to the student’s suggestions. They collected data regarding how many students would be interested in purchasing, appropriate price ranges, and how they would be shopping for this product. They also asked for input on features such as cup holders, colors, height, and size. 

Interested customers can find Deskable on Alibaba, an e-commerce platform, or can access a Google Form on the Deskable social media accounts to place their order in advance. The Google Form allows customers to customize their product, offering the original Deskable as well as a leg extension, which is not yet finalized but is being developed.  All pre-orders will be delivered in two to three months and payment is accepted via Venmo.