Lake Oswego High School students earn highest honors for entrepreneurship at International Career Development Conference

Lake Oswego High School senior Henri Danzelaud engineered a solution for a problem that all dog owners in the Pacific Northwest can appreciate: the time-consuming and difficult task of wiping down a muddy dog.

After a rushed dog cleaning experience a few years ago, the idea of an automated dog cleaning device stuck with Danzelaud, who decided to use the idea for a business proposal with DECA, a student club at LOHS that focuses on entrepreneurship and business.

“I think the appeal of engineering to me is as an engineer you pretty much can make a real life version of almost anything you think of,” said Danzelaud. “I’m a really big animal guy; that was kind of the ulterior motive behind this project being about dogs — I love animals.”

Danzelaud spent between 500 and 700 hours on a 20-page business proposal and presentation for the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California. He earned first place in the “Independent Business Plan” section for the design and business plan for “Canine Cleaner.”

Fellow LOHS classmates Zane Dragu, Jeb Scipio del Campo and Kate Scipio del Campo placed seventh in the “Community Giving Project” section for their work organizing and implementing the Lake Oswego Read-A-Thon with the public library.

“It’s tough to make it as a finalist at ICDC. So many amazing students from across the country have worked hard on their projects and presentations throughout the year. I’m just so happy for Henri and our community giving group. They are great kids who have represented our school and state so well both in and out of competition,” said LOHS advisor Chris Hill in a press release.

Danzelaud’s business proposal beat 190 other competitors for first place.

“I think this is one of the few things I’ve done in the last four years I’ve 100% committed myself to and worked on consistently with a real desire to get the most out of it and do the best I can. Honestly, the amount of effort, the amount of care and the amount of actual will I put into the project is what I’m the most proud of,” said Danzelaud.

The Read-A-Thon team was also pleased to see its community project place seventh in Anaheim. The Lake Oswego Read-A-Thon Started during the 2022-23 school year to help younger students struggling after the pandemic improve their reading skills in a fun and communal way.

“It seems really weird from the outside: ‘Why would you spend your time outside of class writing a 10-to-20-page paper about a fake business or doing something in real life and donate all your time?’ But at the end of the day, some of the best friends I’ve made have been from DECA,” said Jeb Scipio del Campo, a senior at LOHS.