May 20, 2026
Bloomington High School South students share what they learned
BLOOMINGTON, IN — Bloomington High School South (BHSS) junior Adrian Martel said he researched what time Mark Cuban checks his email in the morning before inviting him to speak with BHSS business students. Mr. Cuban wrote back, and soon, around 30 students were rewarded with an hour of his time via virtual meeting on April 1.
“I just wanted to speak to him and spread the opportunity to students at South,” said Martel. “I know it seems far-fetched, but I didn’t see a reason not to reach out to him — there were more pros than cons. I thought, ‘Why not just do it?’”
Martel shared the news with BHSS business teacher Alana Wilson, who helped organize the opportunity for students with interests in business and entrepreneurship.
The students researched, wrote, and practiced questions to ask Cuban. Martel, who is the president of the school’s DECA business club, asked Cuban about his early experiences as an entrepreneur. Cuban’s insights — from leveraging AI in business ideation, to overcoming challenges — inspired the students.
“He had so much great advice and he inspired not only me, but a lot of students in the audience to get motivated to actually start something,” said Martel. “Like right now, I’m starting a small business — a clothing brand. Just because I have something that I want to expand. It lit the fire to get me into that space.”
Several students who spoke with Mr. Cuban said they plan to follow in his footsteps and attend the Indiana University (IU) Kelley School of Business, including Martel, Gavin Bullock, Emma Hancock, and Gabe Taylor.
“Something that really stuck out to me was hearing about the businesses he started while in college,” said Taylor. “I’m going kind of that same path as him, and I was thinking about doing the same thing — just go out there and try stuff in college.”
Martel appreciated Mr. Cuban sharing the lessons he has learned.
“When he talked about the lessons he’s learned, I related to that,” said Martel. “A lot of things I’m doing, like this clothing business I’m doing right now, of course I want to try and build as much as I can and make money if I can. But it’s more so about just doing things that challenge me to allow myself to grow and give me those opportunities to allow me to gain those skills.”
Senior Gavin Bullock said he was inspired by Mr. Cuban’s approach to business.
“One way he has motivated me is to show that business is an opportunity to do more than something for yourself,” he said. “The way he talked about it, it is almost like his motivation was to have a bigger impact and I thought that was really cool and something I could apply myself.”
Martel shared how much this experience meant to students.
“I’m excited for the future, and I think he inspired a lot of people,” he said.
Wilson shared how much this experience meant to her, as a teacher.
“It’s about inspiring the kids,” she said. “I think about the next Adrian, thinking, ‘I’m going to reach out to someone for an interview — why not?’ That’s what I was most proud of in Adrian — that natural curiosity that we try to foster as teachers.”
As a junior, Martel shared that he is still considering his future plans.
“I’m a junior, so I haven’t fully decided yet, but the Kelley School is definitely near the top of the list,” he said. “But beyond that, if I see a business opportunity, I’m going to take that opportunity. I’m going to take those chances and learn from them.”
At the IU Kelley School, Bullock plans to double major in marketing with a double major or a minor in data analytics. Taylor shared his future plans after graduation, in addition to attending the IU Kelley School.
“After my track season is over, I want to get my real estate license,” he shared. “A dream of mine is to have my own brokerage agency, but I’m also thinking about starting marketing companies in college to help pay off some loans, get experience, and grow connections.”