2025 Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Class is Underway
The Chamber recently kicked off its 2025 Young Entrepreneurs Academy class with 21 bright and talented students. Under the direction of Dr. Janet Leslie, a dedicated entrepreneur and educator with a Master of Science in Higher Education and a Doctorate of Management, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy is primed for success.
The YEA! Program is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Con Edison.
Now in its 11th year, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) program, made possible by presenting sponsor Con Edison, has guided nearly 200 high school students through the process of becoming entrepreneurs. Students begin the program generating business ideas and end the program with an opportunity to secure real funding from local investors at the closing YEA! Investor Panel event. Over the course of 16 weeks, YEA! students make the weekly commitment to attend classes after school at the Chamber’s office. Throughout the program, students work together under the instruction of industry experts as they conduct market research, write business plans, prepare their pitch, and launch their very own companies. The education modules are broken into segments helping students every step of the way from idea generation to launch. Key topic areas are market analysis, business plan writing, marketing strategies, pitch development, and product launch.
In addition to Presenting Sponsor Con Edison, the program is made possible by generous support from Councilmember David Carr, as well as Scholarship Sponsors Avid Architecture, Chick-fil-A, the South Shore Rotary, and the Rab Wilkinson Foundation. Media support is provided by Community Media of Staten Island and Moving Pictures.
This year, we received a record number of applications for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, and the application pool was incredibly competitive. We are so excited to work with the students in this year’s YEA! program as they continue to form their own companies. Be on the lookout for some extremely innovative business, including those in the clothing, arts and crafts, food, and technology industries, to name a few.
The 2024 Students:
Hideki Aizu Staten Island Academy, 11th Grade
Daniel Berretta, Moore Catholic High School, 11th Grade
Binting Chen, Staten Island Technical High School, 11th Grade
Yasmine Dar Salim, Port Richmond High School, 12th Grade
Liam Ferguson, Richmond Prep Charter School, 8th Grade
Breanna Foster, CSI High School for International Studies, 11th Grade
Adam Gertskis, Tottenville High School, 11th Grade
Polina Gomerova, Tottenville High School, 10th Grade
Scarlett Guillen, Ralph R. Mckee Career And Technical Education High School, 11th Grade
Zynia Journet, Concord High School, 12th Grade
Anna Lau, Staten Island Technical High School1, 0th Grade
Talia Lioce, Notre Dame Academy, 11th Grade
Mariam Makki, Susan E. Wagner High School, 11th Grade
Aidin Marke, Staten Island Technical High School, 11th Grade
Marializ Perez, Curtis High School, 12th Grade
Gabriella Shalmiyev, Staten Island Technical High School, 11th Grade
Jayden Wu, New Dorp High School, 10th Grade
Chen Xi He, Staten Island Technical High School, 11th
Grade Chloe Yuen, Tottenville High School, 11th Grade
Russell Zhao, CSI High School for International Studies, 10th Grade
We are proud to say that the 2025 YEA! class represents students throughout 5 grade levels (8-12) and across 13 different high schools in Staten Island. We have a full class of hungry, motivated, and ready-to-learn students, and we can’t wait to see what they can do this year.