We believe that every person has potential.
The potential to create, disrupt and thrive.
But for that potential to be fully realized it needs to be affirmed and developed starting at an early age.
At Quarter Zero (QØ), we exist to help young people power their potential.
We do this by creating an immersive, real-world entrepreneurial environment where young people can work hand-in-hand with top industry advisors to shape and guide their passions and ideas.
Our learning and development experiences challenge our participants to become problem solvers, equipped with the skills to thrive in a competitive and rapidly changing world.
The alumni network and investment arm keep us connected, providing professional resources and access to industry advisors for everyone who has been part of a Quarter Zero experience and direct-financial support for select startups.
By identifying, developing, and nurturing the unique individual skills, passions and values of each student, the Quarter Zero Fellowship and Quarter Zero Life Coaching programs aim to focus, develop, and support people to achieve their goals and to navigate life decisions and moments in a healthy and sustainable manner with community at its core.
Every person has potential… we’re glad you are here to power yours.
“It was a super fun experience that allowed us to explore Santa Barbara as well. I think the biggest mindset I developed was understanding others. I got to learn from people with different backgrounds, and we had multiple activities where we utilized our different skillsets to do awesome things.”
- Bill Merickel, 2019-20 QØ Fellow
An unfortunate reality for today’s students is that stress is at an all-time high, and high stress can lead to anxiety and other physical and mental health issues.
At Quarter Zero, we want to sort through stress, reframe it, provide self-understanding and offer direction and confidence to continue on the journey by redefining what personal success looks like and to help students break free of cultural pressures for different definitions of success. After working with over 700 students in the Catapult Incubator program, we have learned that every student has different challenges and barriers they are working to overcome.
The QØ Fellowship was created to dive deeply into the personal development and individuality of our students with the philosophy that once a student has identified, reflected, and developed their skills, passions, and values, navigating life’s challenging journey can be done in a healthy and sustainable way.
FELLOWSHIP STRUCTURE
The QØ Fellowship begins by first laying the foundation of personal development: helping individuals discover who they are and what their unique abilities are. Once we have laid the foundation, we work with the student to identify their individualized goals through what we call “Pathways.” In the spring semester, we focus on creating and implementing a plan to achieve these goals.
In an increasingly virtual world, having immersive, in-person experiences is paramount to students forming meaningful relationships.
The first in-person session takes place during early Fall, and the objective of this session is to dive deeply into who their peers and coaches are, create personal objectives and goals for the next 100 days, and have the ability to more closely examine the personal development content of this program.
The second in-person session takes place at the beginning of the new year, where we focus on launching the students’ Pathway.
The third and final session at the end of Spring focuses on structuring the summer for success and making the most of their time out of school. In this final weekend, we also invite parents and families to Santa Barbara to participate in a half-day parent session on how to support your student in addition to a celebration for the first year of the fellowship until we start again in the fall.
More detailed information on the in-person weekends can be found in the FAQ section below.
2019-20 DATES
October 4 - 6
October 10
November 15
December 15
January 3-5
May 15-17
June - Aug
September 15
- Weekend 1: In-Person Immersive
- Coaching Conversations Begin
- Peer-Led Forums Begin
- Spring “Pathways” Selected
- Weekend 2: In-Person Immersive
- Launch and Execution of Pathway Projects
- Weekend 3: In-Person Immersive (Parents Welcome!)
- Fellow Alumni Transition to Youth Executive Coaching; 2020-21 Fellows Induction
PHASE DETAILS
Throughout the first phase we will be diving into progressive themes:
Shoot me straight - what’s the actual benefit and value? This is expensive…
A parent once asked…“What three things will I get from this experience that I can’t get from my high school counselor or college counselor?”
SELF-UNDERSTANDING, CONFIDENCE AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH
AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOLER:
Going through the motions of high school life rarely digging under the surface to the core of what drives their emotions, opinions, and values.
QØ FELLOW:
Acquiring the deepest self-understanding of your values, gifts, while developing a high level of confidence in who you are with the utmost humility. Our Fellows work to identify, understand, process, and manage high levels of anxiety and stress with a goal to live daily in a healthy and sustainable way.
FRAMEWORK FOR OWNING DECISIONS, AND ESTABLISHING GOALS
AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOLER:
Stuck in the cultural expectations and current of life, letting the river fully direct their path until they end up at the end of the stream. Never reaching the shore and getting to explore their own path…maintaining the status quo.
QØ FELLOW:
We help you escape high school life’s crippling and anxiety-inducing grasp of expectations by pulling you to the shore out of the current. We help you catch your breath, and then reorient you towards an open field that represents a different type of journey, where there are no roads, or paths. It’s up to you to set the compass direction, and it’s QØ’s job to support you every step of the way.
A COMMUNITY THAT WILL LEVERAGE EVERYTHING TO HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL
AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOLER:
Your network is your friends, classmates, and teammates, of which you might share similarities with. Of 700 students we’ve worked with, the number one thing they say is missing in their lives is an actual community of like-minded, driven, curious individuals who won’t settle for the status quo.
QØ FELLOW:
Never alone with a peer community of people to walk the journey with, as well as access to the QØ community of coaches who will leverage all resources available to ensure you reach your goals.
P.S. - If you have a college counselor, that is awesome and we recommend them for helping hold you accountable with all those application details and deadlines. What QØ does is much deeper and larger than just getting you into college. We’re focused on the long term.
REQUIREMENTS
The initial year of the Fellowship will be exclusively for Quarter Zero alumni. With our alumni network, we have had the opportunity to better know how each student is driven, how they handle challenges, their drive to work through a problem, and, at their core, who they are as people. This allows us to select - and make a better community for - the Fellowship. Our alumni are in many different stages of life: high school student, high school graduate, college student, young professional. The Fellowship is structured to meet each student where they are, knowing they will be at different stages.
LODGING AND LOCATION
HOTEL MILO
Hotel Milo takes inspiration from Santa Barbara’s most prolific hotelier, Milo Potter, whose magnificent Potter Hotel put this picturesque coastal destination on the map. One of the most centrally located beach hotels in Santa Barbara, Hotel Milo’s lovely 2.5-acre property includes Ambassador Park, a beautiful lawn framed by iconic California palm trees that once served as the grand entrance to the Potter Hotel. Built in the traditional Spanish-style architecture that reflects this city’s rich colonial history, this classic Santa Barbara hotel steps from the beach features 122 charming guestrooms, as well as a beautiful courtyard with outdoor pools and gardens.
QØ HEADQUARTERS
After 5-years in NYC, QØ moved it’s headquarters to Santa Barbara and moved into the historic El Centro Building, a prominent building adjacent to the renowned Lobero Theatre and ideally situated within Santa Barbara’s vibrant Presidio District.
As part of the property, QØ took control of the entire top floor of the building to serve as their operational HQ and converted an empty racquetball court into Santa Barbara’s first Makerspace Studio open to the public and is the home to summer programming. If you are ever in sunny Santa Barbara, drop us a line, we would love to give you a tour and show you where the magic happens.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the application process?
There is no formal application process for the QØ Fellowship and Life Coaching. As alumni of Quarter Zero, we have had the opportunity to better know how you are driven, how you handle challenges, your drive to work through a problem, and who you are as individuals. Through one-on-one conversations with Quarter Zero staff, we will select individuals based on their desire for individual development and their motivation to invest in these programs.
What happens after I finish the Fellowship?
If you would like to continue working with Quarter Zero, we encourage our graduating Fellows to renew their engagement with us through the Life Coaching program remotely with optional in-person gatherings.
Can I miss any of the in-person weekends for the Fellowship if I have a sporting event, SAT test, family event, etc?
While it is not ideal to miss an in-person weekend, we understand that certain events simply cannot be moved. We highly recommend you attend the first weekend session as developing relationships with the other students is paramount.
What if my school doesn’t allow us to miss any days?
Please send us the initial letter from your school denying your departure and Josh will personally work with the school to get things approved. If they don’t budge, we’ll work with you to still make the most of the first days.
What is the cancellation policy?
Monthly Plan: 90 days’ notice required for cancellation due to event bookings
Annual Plan: Before Dec 31=, 20% refund. No refunds after Dec 31.
Do you guarantee that I will get into a college?
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee you will be accepted, but we hope we will improve your chances and outlook on the process.
When are coaches available?
After the first session when you are paired with your coach, you will find a consistent time that works for you and your coach to meet so you can both plan around it. Our coaches are primarily in the Pacific Time Zone. If you have strict schedule requirements, please let our team know during the planning period in September, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Tell me more about the In-Person Fellowship Weekends!
Timing:
Each in-person weekend will begin at 1pm on Friday and conclude at 1pm on Sunday.
Flights will need to be scheduled to Santa Barbara accordingly, and Quarter Zero will provide transportation for students to and from the Santa Barbara Airport (and throughout the weekend). If your school requires documentation for absences, we will be happy to provide whatever is needed.
Flights and Local Transport:
Are flights included in the Tuition Fee?
No
Are shuttles provided from the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)?
Yes - A shuttle will be coordinated and provided to and from Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)
Can I fly into Los Angeles (LAX)?
Yes, we often fly into LAX because it has the most flight options. For those flying into LAX, the Santa Barbara Airbus drives from LAX to Santa Barbara 10-times a day and is highly reliable.
**Please coordinate all arrival flights and/or buses to arrive by 11am into SBA and 9am into LAX on Fridays.
**Please coordinate all departure flights to leave no earlier than 2:30pm on Sundays out of SBA and 5pm out of LAX.
Lodging:
Is lodging provided for in-person weekends?
First Weekend - Yes
Second Weekend - Yes
Third Weekend - Because we ask for families to join their students for the final weekend, we will not be providing lodging for the third in-person weekends.
Lodging will be at Hotel Milo in Santa Barbara with a Quarter Zero Staff member within a 2 minute drive from the hotel (we’re locals!). Hotel staff are on duty 24/7 at this premier boutique property.
Meals:
Based on the program structure, evenings are set aside for reflection or spending time with other Fellows on their own for free time. Students should plan accordingly to have money for dinner meals.
Do Fellows work with one person or multiple people?
Fellows are matched with our entire team of coaches for the academic year.Throughout the year, and depending on the Pathway selected, QØ provides a number of resources to ensure our students’ specific needs are addressed. For example, students will have access to our QØ Connect Platform and to specialists while looking for an internship or job. Job and interview coaching might be directed to our Career Coach experts, etc. Our coaches and QØ team meet frequently to ensure and coordinate we find the right resources to help power your potential.
How is the Fellowship different from a College Counselor?
The Quarter Zero difference lies in our personalized team-based approach. We give you the power of a network of successful individuals and “always on” resources to ensure you have all the tools to reach your fullest potential. While other college and career advising services rely on a single individual to give you all the guidance you seek, we find that this one-dimensional approach often isn’t enough for applicants’ success.
How do we know this will work?
6 years’ experience
700+ students
100+ ventures
All focused on solving problems youth have...so we know a thing or two from our own customer discovery
Additionally, we are relying on experts and specialists in specific fields for the deep knowledge transfer.
Our goal is to coordinate and leverage the right resources for each student to help them be successful.
Most importantly, your success is our success. QØ only works if our students are successful...we’re committed to the long game and couldn’t be happier.
Interested in learning more?
Let’s continue the conversation. Email us at team@quarterzero.com today!