Business teacher Bill Mitchell and his identical twin brother became homeless at 17 years old after a turbulent home situation arose. Throughout high school, Mitchell and his brother found comfort in wrestling and soccer but were forced to quit when they became homeless.

“[When] rent came due [my brother and I] became homeless. [We were living] in our car and couch hopping. [I] quit wrestling [and] my brother quit soccer,” Mitchell said. “We worked at Yellow Freight Sioux [every] night until the morning, then ended [up] paying for our apartment our senior year. That was challenging.”

After high school, Mitchell went into the workforce. From 1995 to 1996, Mitchell worked for the city of Ballwin as an Aquatic Supervisor at The Pointe. He attended St. Charles Community College before being recruited to wrestle at Lindenwood University, where he finished his undergraduate education. That’s when Mitchell negotiated with Lindenwood University president Dennis Spellmann for a full scholarship by fixing the school’s century-old swimming pool.

“I ended up quitting the job at The Pointe, which was tough because I had a good salary, like $27,000, but when you’re 18 years old back in 1995, that was good money, a government job,” Mitchell said. “Lindenwood was not on a full ride, and I actually negotiated with Dr. Dennis Spellmann. After the end of my first semester, there were some finances that I wasn’t able to afford because I came from having nothing to having a job for around eight months and then went back to school.”

Upon graduating from Lindenwood University, Mitchell began teaching in the Hazelwood school district. He later joined the Board of Directors for the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce organization and began working at Menlo College, where he stepped into the business world. While working at Milpitas, he served on a sub-committee for the National Academy Foundation (NAF). 

Mitchell was selected to serve on a task force for MBA Research, which changed his career trajectory. He worked with school districts across California to implement the Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum. This led him to work for Sports Leadership Arts and Management Academy (SLAM), where he became the CTE Director and Dean of Students.

“The school focused on implementing sports into all subjects and promoted sports for all students to participate in,” Mitchell said. 

After being an educator, flying across the country for coaching, and working as an administrator for 20 years, Mitchell found his way back to St. Louis to develop ScholarPath, an EdTech company designed from his life experiences in education. In 2022, Mitchell decided to follow his passion for teaching and working with the next generation of business leaders, joining the school this fall.

“While working with SLAM, I found myself missing my family and decided to move back to Missouri. I believe in diversity, inclusion and social justice, and I think I [will make] a bigger impact here, [and the] timing was right. It was really on my heart, and I’m a spiritual person. I [am] in it for the kids, not the money,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell helps lay business skill foundations by day and enjoys coaching after school.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. I’ve always [had] hope and opportunity. You can be whatever you want,” Mitchell said. “Pitbull doesn’t have a college degree. You can do whatever you want in life if you choose to do it. So you legitimately say, ‘this is who I am today, and I’m going to change it and be better or different.’”