Our entrepreneuers of tomorrow are showcasing their skills to someday take on the real world.
Several Westmoreland students competed in the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Youth Summit at The Hartford, an insurance company in New Hartford, on November 1.
Junior Achievement is the largest nonprofit in the United States dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures and make smart academic and economic choices. Its purpose is to “inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.”
The Hartford is one of hundreds of organizations across the country that voluntarily hold youth summits, which are designed to help students draw on their skills and creativity, unlock their entrepreneurial potential and plant the seeds for future entrepreneurial thinking.
At the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Youth Summit at The Hartford, Westmoreland students, along with students from Rome Free Academy, worked in small “incubators” throughout the day to develop a product idea. They were mentored by employees from The Hartford. Eventually, they “pitched” their ideas to a panel, who ultimately selected a winning group.
Cati Pulver, Vice President of District Operations at Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York located in Syracuse, organized the youth summit held at The Hartford.
“The enthusiasm of the students was apparent, as well as their competitiveness,” Pulver said. “I am always impressed with the product ideas the students come up with. It’s only a matter of time before a student is going to be able to market their product idea for real.”
In addition to testing their entrepreneurial creativity, Mrs. Weissenberger, Business and Technology teacher at the Westmoreland Central School District, says students learned what it takes to be successful in the world outside of school.
“Students were able to learn workplace skills required to gain employment, develop interpersonal and cooperation skills, establish positive relationships with other students from another school district and find out what it takes to lead,” Weissenberger said.
Westmoreland’s two teams came in second and third place out of nine teams.