The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Community & Rural Development Programs in Nash and Edgecombe Counties hosted their 4th Annual Teen Entrepreneurial Summer Boot Camp for teen ages 15-17 during the week of July 18th-21st and July 22nd-25th. The students networked with entrepreneurs, analyzed community needs to identify unmet opportunities for providing products or services, and explored business resources available to them. Fabiola Doissaint, an undergraduate business major at NCCU and an NCGrowth analyst assisted with planning and logistics and provided mentorship during the camp.
During the camp, students visited SpringboardNC, a group that fosters and supports entrepreneurship, Kaban Logistics, a logistics company, and Area L AHEC, an educational organization for the healthcare industry. CEO/Founder at RealBlackLove.com, Joseph Dixon, spoke with students about his experience as a successful businessman.
At the end of the camp, the campers presented final pitches in front of a panel of local community leaders and business owners in the style of the popular television show “Shark Tank,” where wealthy investors listen to ambitious entrepreneurs make business presentations.
Travis Silver and Ariyon Powell received $400 for first place for their fresh fruit smoothie company, A & T Smoothies. Jacqueline Dickens was awarded $250 for second place with Marie’s Drive-Thru Mart, a healthy grocery store concept. Jada Battle and Ana Iniesta-Romero won $150 for third place with Straight Up You, a company that makes personalized laptop bags.
Jamilla Hawkins, extension agent for Edgecombe County and camp organizer, says students get the opportunity to learn new skills, think innovatively, and consider ways to give back to their community.