Opportunity to Grow in the Business World
Students participate in annual Enterprise Leadership Conference to prepare for future business careers
By Lauryn Luescher and Katie Nguyen
Throughout the Enterprise Leadership Conference juniors have the opportunity to learn skills that take companies and business majors years to learn.
The program was a three day business conference from Feb. 22 through Feb. 24, designed for high school juniors from 30 Bay Area schools where selected students learned crucial leadership and presentation skills by creating their own business in the free enterprise system. Students learned how to make a business plan, developed a marketing strategy, finance, and human resource functions.
The three day course consisted of students put into 12 eight-person teams, each with two mentors simulating a real business with positions such as a CEO and manager.
ELC alumni Kevin Yi, 12, found the team environment beneficial regardless of a student’s position.
“It will help you develop communication skills as well as your presentation and management,” Yi said.
For some, ELC was an opportunity to get connections and real life experience in the business world to prepare them for their future as well as a platform for students to try out entrepreneurship before committing to a major.
“I applied to ELC to learn about the business world, to gain connections so that I can network with people for my future, and to maybe get internships for the future,” current ELC member Keith Hertzberg, 11, said.
The ELC program is well known by colleges and once a student becomes an alumnus, they have the ongoing support of the Rotary Club members for letters of recommendation and career support.
“When you put down that you participated or you are an alumni of the 2017 San Jose Rotary Enterprise Leadership Conference, that’s a big deal,” ELC chair Tom Bondi said. “Competition is hard for college, so distinguishing characteristics can be very important and this is transformational for students.”
The Rotary Club puts on the conference every year for students to experience the difficulty of putting a business together in a fast-paced environment. Future juniors interested in entrepreneurship can access the application on their website at the beginning of every year.
Students participate in annual Enterprise Leadership Conference to prepare for future business careers
By Lauryn Luescher and Katie Nguyen
Throughout the Enterprise Leadership Conference juniors have the opportunity to learn skills that take companies and business majors years to learn.
The program was a three day business conference from Feb. 22 through Feb. 24, designed for high school juniors from 30 Bay Area schools where selected students learned crucial leadership and presentation skills by creating their own business in the free enterprise system. Students learned how to make a business plan, developed a marketing strategy, finance, and human resource functions.
The three day course consisted of students put into 12 eight-person teams, each with two mentors simulating a real business with positions such as a CEO and manager.
ELC alumni Kevin Yi, 12, found the team environment beneficial regardless of a student’s position.
“It will help you develop communication skills as well as your presentation and management,” Yi said.
For some, ELC was an opportunity to get connections and real life experience in the business world to prepare them for their future as well as a platform for students to try out entrepreneurship before committing to a major.
“I applied to ELC to learn about the business world, to gain connections so that I can network with people for my future, and to maybe get internships for the future,” current ELC member Keith Hertzberg, 11, said.
The ELC program is well known by colleges and once a student becomes an alumnus, they have the ongoing support of the Rotary Club members for letters of recommendation and career support.
“When you put down that you participated or you are an alumni of the 2017 San Jose Rotary Enterprise Leadership Conference, that’s a big deal,” ELC chair Tom Bondi said. “Competition is hard for college, so distinguishing characteristics can be very important and this is transformational for students.”
The Rotary Club puts on the conference every year for students to experience the difficulty of putting a business together in a fast-paced environment. Future juniors interested in entrepreneurship can access the application on their website at the beginning of every year.
