Partner Spotlight: Doral Renewables

Written By Ava Wettrick

How one company's commitment to authentic community engagement transformed a high school business class into a launchpad for the next generation of sustainability leaders.

In the small town of North Judson, Indiana (population 1,814), high school students don't typically find themselves presenting research at international conferences alongside leading scientists and industry experts. But thanks to the genuine partnership between Doral Renewables and the StartedUp Foundation, that's exactly what happened for students in Mollie Dollahan's business classes at North Judson San Pierre High School.

Doral Renewables has redefined what it means to be a community partner. While many companies limit their educational involvement to one-time donations or annual events, Doral has embedded themselves as active collaborators in the classroom experience. Their 2025 engagement in Starke County alone demonstrates this commitment: supporting Knox Community Schools Teacher Recognition Week, partnering with the Starke County Youth Club, and most notably, their deep collaboration with NJSP High School's business classes.

In Fall 2024, Doral partnered with the STARTedUP Foundation and was connected to North Judson San Pierre High School business teacher Mollie Dollahan. "Mollie is an all-star teacher and our collaboration in her classroom was a true pleasure," reflects Chris Kline, Development Manager at Doral Renewables. "What began as an initial classroom visit blossomed into a stimulating educational experience for all concerned."

From Abstract Concepts to Real-World Impact

As a renewables company on a mission to advance sustainable energy solutions for farmers across the US, Doral was uniquely positioned to bring sustainability education to life for students. Recognizing that these concepts can often feel abstract to high school students, Chris and Mollie developed an innovative approach. They began with a Hunger Banquet, an experiential exercise that introduces empathy, equity, and fairness within a framework of global food security. The positive student response to this exercise laid the foundation for an even more ambitious collaboration.

When they learned about the Student Design Challenge sponsored by the Solar Farm Summit—an international conference promoting agrivoltaics (the practice of combining solar development with agriculture)—they saw an opportunity to give students a real-world challenge with global implications.

Bringing the Classroom to the Field

The first step in beginning the design challenge was finding something to work on, so Doral arranged a field trip to their Mammoth North solar project in Starke County. Students, along with Mollie and their principal, experienced agrivoltaics operations firsthand, questioning solar grazer Billy Bope about the challenges and opportunities of this innovative approach to land use. It was an immersive learning experience designed to inspire and inform.

Back in the classroom, students worked in teams for over a month, developing their ideas and solutions. Chris returned in early May to hear their presentations and provide professional feedback, bringing real industry perspective to their academic work. "I was overwhelmingly impressed with their ideas and the variety of approaches they took to address the agrivoltaic challenges they studied," Chris recalls.

Recognition on the International Stage

The competition results exceeded expectations. Out of Mollie's 16 students, three teams emerged victorious, claiming the top spots in their division. In an unprecedented tie for first place in the grade 9-12 division, Mia Russo's "Crop Data in Agrivoltaics" focused on monitoring plant growth and addressing contamination concerns, while Lina Moreland and Triston Voyles created a comprehensive "Agrivoltaics Workshop" with five lessons designed to educate other students to agrivoltaics. Runner-up honors went to Cailyn Tunis, Millie Beauchamp, and Zander Nowak for their "Tri-Usage Agrivoltaics" project, which demonstrated how to grow carrots, lettuce, and strawberries between solar panels using innovative hanging planters to protect crops from animals. Check out their school’s social media post here

Photo courtesy of Chris Kline

"Doral has provided my classroom with opportunities to learn and grow in ways that would not have been possible otherwise," Mollie reflected. "One moment I'll never forget was taking my students to the Solar Conference in Chicago. For many of them, it was their first time leaving Indiana—let alone visiting a major city like Chicago. It was truly an eye-opening experience."

At the conference, students engaged with researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one of the world's preeminent research facilities, and connected with university representatives, including those from Purdue University.

The experience made such an impact that when Chris mentioned a youth journalist organization was soliciting articles, student Sophia Chaffins immediately volunteered to write about her experience. Her resulting article for the Youth Environmental Press Team captures the transformative effect of authentic educational partnership.

The impact extended far beyond the conference. "The conference exposed my students to the solar industry in a new light, challenging many of the negative perceptions they had previously heard," Mollie mentioned. "They came away inspired, informed, and excited about possibilities they hadn't considered before.”

A Partnership Built for the Long Term

For Doral, this wasn’t about public relations or checking corporate social responsibility boxes. "Doral will be working in Starke County, home of our Mammoth North Project, for decades to come and we will need the next generation to have an appreciation and understanding of the intersection of solar power and agriculture," Chris explains. "Supporting education and inspiring the next generation is not just about public image or perception for us, this is core value and a commitment to the communities we work with."

More than a dozen Doral team members attended the Solar Farm Summit and witnessed the students in action. "Seeing the students' excitement about a topic about which we care deeply is very affirming," Chris reflects.

Photo courtesy of Chris Kline

More than a dozen Doral team members attended the Solar Farm Summit and witnessed the students in action. "Seeing the students' excitement about a topic about which we care deeply is very affirming," Chris mentions.

Inspiring the Next Generation

As we look toward the future, partnerships like the one between Doral and NJSP High School serve as a model for authentic corporate engagement in education. They show that when businesses commit to genuine collaboration—bringing their expertise, resources, and passion into the classroom—the results can be transformational for students, educators, and the companies themselves.

For students in North Judson, Indiana, the world became a little bigger, their futures a little brighter, and their understanding of sustainability a lot deeper, all because one company decided that authentic community engagement means showing up, staying involved, and investing in the next generation.

The STARTedUP Foundation connects dedicated educators with committed business partners to create transformative learning experiences. To learn more about becoming a partner or to nominate an educator, visit our website or contact us today.

Ava Wettrick
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