Proximity

The Right People. The Right Room. Real Opportunity.

What I Wish I Learned in School
One evening, a full room, and ten people who built something. Now on film.

Families from 32 schools claimed every seat in a barn in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. Ten local owners and professionals each answered one question: what do you wish someone had told you in high school? Then the students asked them anything.

Proximity No. 1  ·  Thursday, October 8, 2026  ·  Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

75
Seats, all claimed
32
Schools represented
10
People on stage
0
Slides

Watch Proximity No. 1

The whole evening, start to finish.

Nick's opening, nine short talks, and twenty-five minutes of student questions with every speaker up front. Jump straight to anyone below.

The barn in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, full for Proximity No. 1 Watch the full evening1 hour 32 minutes

Filmed and edited by Focus Point Creative. Every talk is also its own video in our YouTube playlist.

The Talks

One question. Ten answers.

What do you wish someone had told you in high school? Here is who stood up to answer it, in the order they spoke.

Nick Collins opening Proximity No. 1
Opening
Nick Collins
Founder, Platinum Reputations · Host
Why this room exists, and why you will never again be this free to be wrong
9:10
Brooke Schnorr speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 1
Brooke Schnorr
COO, 7 Brew Coffee Maryland
Networking, relationships, and genuine connections
6:18
Nick Rumke speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 2
Nick Rumke
Partner, Wealth Planning Group
Empowering yourself with knowledge and financial literacy now to support your future
4:00
Kenny Daniels speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 3
Kenny Daniels
Founder & CEO, Dynamo Electric
Don’t wait. Discipline over time, and everything compounds
6:08
Mike Hinkle speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 4
Mike Hinkle
Attorney & Partner, TB&H
Betting on yourself, because nobody hands it to you
11:07
Mary Burke speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 5
Mary Burke
Owner, Little People's Place
Setting a goal and chasing it while doing what you love
4:33
Blake Schindler speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 6
Blake Schindler
VP, Bob Davidson Ford Lincoln
There’s no such thing as an overnight success, only the years no one saw
7:19
Nick Liberatore speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 7
Nick Liberatore
Co-Owner, Liberatore's Restaurant Group
Discipline equals freedom, and the power of extreme ownership
4:34
Kelly Schuit speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 8
Kelly Schuit
Associate Broker / Owner, Kelly + Co
The power of no, and winning through persistence
6:14
Bill Valway speaking at Proximity No. 1
Talk 9
Bill Valway
President, AP Corp
Your core drivers, habits and more
6:18
Q&A
Student questions
Every speaker up front
Twenty-five minutes, and the students set every question. This is the part that matters most, and it is why the talks are kept short.
26:24
32
schools in one room
Who came
Public, private, charter, cyber and homeschool. Most students sat next to someone they had never met.

October 8, 2026

What the room looked like.

A barn in Glen Rock, every seat taken, and speakers who stayed afterward to keep the conversation going.

Photos by Focus Point Creative and Ron Schuman of Midnight Mirage Media.

Proximity No. 2

The next room is being planned.

No. 1 filled up and ended with a waitlist. The date, place and lineup for No. 2 are not set yet, and the people on this list hear first, before anything is posted publicly.

One email when there is news. Nothing sold, and your details are never shared.

Who It Is For

High school students, and the parents who bring them.

Grades nine through twelve, roughly ages fourteen to eighteen. It does not matter whether your student already knows what they want to do. Most of them do not, and that is exactly the point.

  • The student with a plan. They meet people who are already living some version of it, and can tell them what the next ten years actually look like.
  • The student with no plan. They see six or seven ways a life can be built, none of which came from a course catalog.
  • The student who is not a great student. Several people on that stage were not either. That is worth hearing out loud, from an adult who has been there.
  • The parent who wants better rooms for their kid and has not had an easy way to get them there.

How an Evening Works

Ninety minutes, four things.

01

Hear the Honest Version

One after another, a few minutes each. No slides, no polish, no career-day script. Just the one thing they wish someone had told them in high school, said out loud to a room of teenagers.

02

Ask Anything, Live

Twenty-five minutes with every speaker up front at once. Students set the questions. This is the part that matters most, and it is why the talks are kept short.

03

Meet Them Afterward

These are local owners, not visiting speakers. Students can walk up, shake a hand, and start a conversation with someone who has actually built the thing.

04

Give Something Back

We collect canned goods or non-perishables for the Hampstead Little Free Pantry, and nearly everyone brings one. Walking in having already contributed something sets the tone for the whole evening.

For Parents

Why you can send your student into this room.

  • You can see exactly what happens. The whole first evening is on this page, start to finish. That is the room your student walks into.
  • Nothing is sold. Not at the door, not from the stage, not afterward. Proximity evenings are free and run as community events.
  • The speakers are named, local, and verifiable. 7 Brew Coffee, Liberatore's Restaurants, Bob Davidson Ford Lincoln, Dynamo Electric, Kelly + Co, Little People's Place, Platinum Reputations. You have driven past these businesses.
  • Every speaker volunteers their time. No politics and no agendas, no stage for a pitch, just people giving up an evening to add real value to the students and the room. Each one is asked one question and one question only.
  • Parents are welcome in the room for the entire evening, including the question and answer session. Nothing happens that you cannot see.
  • It is run by a local parent. Nick Collins has a son in high school and built this because he wanted it for him first. Schools do a lot right, but business, finance, and entrepreneurship rarely get the classroom time they deserve, and this is his way of helping close that gap.

If there is something you want to know that is not answered below, email nick@proximityprep.com and you will get a response.

Questions

The Details Parents Ask About

When is Proximity No. 2?

It is being planned now. The date, place and lineup are not set yet.

The list hears first. Add your email and you will get the details before they are posted here or on social. No. 1 filled up and ended with a waitlist, so it is worth being early.

We missed No. 1. Did we miss our chance?

No. Watch the film at the top of this page, then join the list. No. 1 was the first room, not the only one, and every evening will bring a different lineup.

Can we watch No. 1 online?

Yes. The whole evening was filmed and is posted on this page and in our YouTube playlist, with a chapter for every speaker so you can jump straight to a talk.

The evenings themselves are still in person only. They are not streamed live and there is no way to attend remotely, because the point is a small room where a student can put a hand up, ask an owner something a little awkward, and then walk over and shake that person's hand afterward. The film comes after.

Are students shown or named in the film and photos?

The film is framed on the speakers. You hear the students' questions, but the cameras face the stage.

The photos from the night do include students, and every student at No. 1 had a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.

No student is ever named on this site, in the film's titles, or on our social accounts. If you would like a photo of your student taken down, email nick@proximityprep.com and it will be removed.

Who exactly can attend?

High school students in grades nine through twelve, roughly ages fourteen to eighteen, along with their parents or guardians.

Younger siblings are not a good fit for these evenings. The conversation is aimed squarely at students who are close enough to graduation for it to feel real.

We do have events and programs for younger students in the works. If that is your family, email us and we will let you know as soon as something is ready for them.

Does a parent have to come?

No, but we strongly encourage it. Students may attend on their own.

Because seating is limited, we ask that each student bring no more than one parent or family member as their guest. We would rather fill the room with students than with families, and holding to one guest each is what makes that possible. If that creates a real problem for your family, email us and we will do what we can.

If your student is coming without you, we ask that a parent or guardian completes the registration so we have a contact for that evening, and that you arrange drop off and pick up rather than having your student arrive on their own.

Parents who do attend sit in the same room for the whole ninety minutes, including the question and answer session.

How do we get a seat at the next one?

Join the list first. When registration for No. 2 opens, the list gets the link before it is posted anywhere else.

Registering is a request, not an instant seat. Nick reads every registration himself and emails you back to confirm. That is on purpose. This is a small room with high school students in it, and we would rather know exactly who is coming.

Once you are confirmed, you get an email from Nick with the exact address and everything you need for that evening. If you are confirmed and then cannot make it, reply to that email so we can offer the seat to another family.

Where are the evenings held?

No. 1 was held on a private, restored property in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. Addresses are never posted publicly. The address goes out by email once Nick has confirmed your spot, along with a map link and parking directions.

There is someone at the gate checking names, so please arrive under the name you registered with, and use the map link we send rather than searching for the venue.

If anyone in your party has a mobility, hearing, vision or other access need, email us before the event and we will make arrangements for you.

Who is supervising, and who do I contact on the night?

Nick Collins is the point of contact for every evening and can be reached at nick@proximityprep.com. His phone number is included in your registration confirmation.

Adults from the Proximity network are present throughout, including every speaker. Students are never on their own in a separate space, and the entire event takes place in one room over ninety minutes.

What happens to the information I submit?

We use it only to contact you about Proximity events, and to keep a record of which evenings your student has attended. We do not sell it, rent it, share it with the speakers, or pass it to anyone else.

If you want your information removed at any point, email nick@proximityprep.com and it will be deleted.

Is attendance recorded?

Yes. Every student who attended is logged as having been at Proximity No. 1, and each student gets a card to keep track of the evenings they have attended.

Over time that becomes a real track record. A young person who has spent evenings in rooms with business owners, asking questions, has something specific to point to when they are sitting with a coach, applying somewhere, or talking to an employer. It is a milestone marker, and it is meant to build momentum.

These records are private. We do not publish a list of students anywhere, and we do not share names without a parent asking us to.

Is anything being sold, and is there a catch?

No. Admission is genuinely free. We collect canned goods or non-perishables for the Hampstead Little Free Pantry and would love you to bring one, but nobody is turned away over it.

Proximity does run a longer paid program, and if that ever becomes relevant to your family we will talk about it in person, on a different day. It is never pitched from the stage.

What should my student bring, and what should they wear?

Questions, and a canned good or non-perishable for the pantry if you can.

Bring a notepad and something to write with. Nick asks every student to do this. People are going to say things worth writing down, and almost nobody remembers them a week later without it.

There is no dress code. It is a casual evening, not an interview.

Get Involved

Help build the next room.

Speak, Host, or Mentor

Built something? The most successful people we know all say the same thing: I wish I'd had access to this earlier. If you want to open a door for the next generation by speaking at a future evening, hosting a visit, or mentoring a student, let's talk.

Start a Conversation

Help on the Night

Parking and traffic, working the gate, seating people, setting up and breaking down. No. 1 ran well because good people gave up a Thursday evening, and No. 2 will need them too.

Volunteer for No. 2

There Is More To This

October 8 was the first night, not the whole idea.

Proximity exists because success leaves clues, and most young people never get close enough to read them. If you want the thinking behind the program, the research on why this window matters, and the story of why a C student who dropped out of college built it, that is all on the next page.

Proximity changes perspective.
Perspective builds confidence.
Confidence changes lives.

So. Do you want them in the next room?