Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Kicks off 2022 Class
By MICHAEL ANDERSON, Content Development Specialist
Earlier this month, 18 high school students kickstarted their dreams of being their own bosses and starting their own businesses with the start of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) 2022 class. YEA! develops and delivers experience-based entrepreneurship programs to young people and allows them to follow their dreams in the business world. The unique program welcomed its 2022 class of exuberant minds on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at the Staten Island JCC.
YEA! is organized by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Foundation, with Con Edison serving as the program’s Presenting Sponsor since 2014. Following a year-long pause due to the COVID pandemic, the Chamber Foundation is excited to restart the 14-week program with students hailing from six different high schools.
The program is also made possible by Partner Sponsors Avid Architecture, the Rab Wilkinson Foundation, and The Small Business Development Center at the College of Staten Island.
“We are thrilled to launch another year of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. It truly is a wonderful feeling to watch high school students bring their business ideas from concept to reality. In fact, we have seen several former participants utilize what they’ve learned to launch their own successful businesses. That tremendous accomplishment shows the true measure and impact of the program,” said Linda Baran, President and CEO of the Chamber. “The program’s success can be attributed to the business mentors who volunteer to meet and work with these students and give them advice on business and life skills.”
“Since its inception, we witnessed firsthand how transformative the Chamber’s YEA! program can be for students, their families, and the community. This multi-week experience not only encourages creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking, it expands business knowledge, their professional network, and provides a wealth of invaluable takeaways one can only encounter in this program,” said Katia Gordon, director of Staten Island Regional & Community Affairs for Con Edison. “We extend congratulatory wishes to the students and look forward to each business idea blossom into a viable business.”
During the program, students will meet to learn about business operations ranging from insurance to marketing. The participants will gain valuable insight from more than 60 local business leaders, who will contribute as mentors and speakers.
The YEA! program is divided into two parts. The first portion is the “Big Idea,” which entails brainstorming, proof of concept, and the beginning stages of the business plan. In the second half, students finalize their business plans and prepare presentations for investors during “The Pitch.” Students aim to secure funding for their idea by presenting their business idea in front of a Shark Tank-like Investors Panel.
Dr. Janet Leslie -- who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Brooklyn College, a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Baruch College, and a Doctorate of Management from the University of Maryland University College – will serve as the lead teacher for this year’s YEA! program. Her academic and administrative interests and research focus concentrate on mentoring non-traditional students and students of color within a higher education environment. She served as a senior administrator for City University of New York (CUNY) for three decades before retiring from her full-time position in 2011.
In accordance with her personal desire to be of support to students on their academic journeys, in 2009 Dr. Leslie began a small start-up business, the Gift of Experience, LLC. The Gift of Experience (https://www.goellc.com) is an entrepreneurial venture with a mission to offer mentoring services, identify higher educational opportunities, and connect graduate and doctoral candidates to funding and academic resources.
“As the Founder and CEO of the Gift of Experience LLC, I am excited and pleased to have been selected to provide instruction for the students enrolled in the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Program,” said Dr. Leslie. “I plan to draw upon my professional experience as an independent entrepreneur with oversight for two business entities and on my academic preparation as an educator and mentor. I’m looking forward to walking alongside our young innovators as they define a personalized path to conceptualizing their ‘Big Idea,’ strategizing their ‘Launch,’ and, ultimately, participating in the end-of-term trade show.”
One of the benefits of the YEA! program is that students are encouraged to brainstorm ideas from their own interests. Given the different personalities and interests of the students, the program generates a wide range of business plans. Through the years, local winning projects include an environmentally-friendly edible spoon, a piping bag solution for culinary purposes, and an insert to deodorize and sanitize hockey gloves.
This year’s 2022 YEA! class is comprised of: John Pierre Alkhoury (Staten Island Technical High School); Jordan Chen (Staten Island Technical High School); Joshua Chen (Staten Island Technical High School); Mandy Chen (Staten Island Technical High School); Nikita Chernin (New Dorp High School); Victoria Esposito (Notre Dame Academy); Christopher Ferrera (Moore Catholic High School); Josh Kim (Staten Island Technical High School); Zihan Lin (Staten Island Technical High School); Andrew Luo (Staten Island Technical High School); Joseph Masica (Staten Island Technical High School); Zayana Sandzhieva (Susan E. Wagner High School); Jessica Soler (Notre Dame Academy); Anika Thakkar (Saint Joseph Hill Academy); Dato Tokmajeshvili (Staten Island Technical High School); Harrison Zafrani (Staten Island Technical High School); Youwei Zhen (Staten Island Technical High School); and Enyu Zhu (Staten Island Technical High School).