DENVER, Colo., April 18, 2014—The National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation announced the Colorado recipients of its 12th annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students.
More than 600 students nationwide applied for a YEF scholarship this year, and NFIB is proud to award 11 scholarships to young entrepreneurs in Colorado. They are:
- Milo Abrams-Hickman of Colorado Springs, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Coronado High School
- Kayley Brown of Castle Rock, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Castle View High School
- Sydney Buckley of Franktown, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Douglas County High School
- Taylor Buckley of Franktown, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Douglas County High School
- Ty Cary of Montrose, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Montrose High School
- Alan Chen of Highlands Ranch, winner of the NFIB/Colorado Leadership Council Award and a senior at Thunderridge High School
- Devyn Doctor of Pagosa Springs, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Pagosa Springs High School
- Devon Fox of Wheat Ridge, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Lakewood High School
- Ryan Lupberger of Boulder, winner of the NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Alexander Dawson School
- Morgan Smith of Colorado Springs, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Air Academy High School
- Jacob Wheat of Montrose, winner of the NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award and a senior at Dakota Valley High School
In 2014, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded 100 Young Entrepreneur Award Scholarships to students across the country. Each award is between $1,000 and $15,000. Students who received the Young Entrepreneur Award are seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. The scholarships are used to help with tuition costs for the winners’ post-secondary education. NFIB’s Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded $145,000 to deserving young entrepreneurs in 2014, thanks to the financial support from numerous small-business leaders, corporate and foundation supporters. A complete list of donors is available here.
“I would like to enthusiastically congratulate all of Colorado’s 2014 scholarship award recipients,” said Mark Hamouz, P.E., NFIB/Colorado leadership council chairman and YEF nominating member. “Each one of these young entrepreneurs has voluntarily taken on extra responsibilities while juggling their schoolwork and numerous extra-curricular activities. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing each one of these young students and am very impressed with their drive and motivation to succeed. They have a bright future as entrepreneurs, which will keep our economic engine running. It is with great personal pleasure to recognize and reward them for their efforts.”
Added Molly Young, senior manager of the Young Entrepreneur Foundation: “America’s young people have caught the entrepreneurial bug, and we at the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation could not be more confident in our next generation of business owners. The number of applicants for the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards continues to grow, and we are impressed year after year with the quality of these hard-working, innovative high school students who are making their entrepreneurial dreams happen. Our scholarship winners are driven to succeed; our nation’s future is all the brighter because of their determination and leadership. NFIB congratulates this year’s winners for their tremendous accomplishments and hopes the scholarships will assist these young entrepreneurs as they continue on their paths towards successful futures.”
In addition to recognizing these outstanding young entrepreneurs, the Young Entrepreneur Foundation will honor five students selected as Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalists with an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 16. During the event, the winners of the 2014 NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the 2014 NFIB Dan Danner Leadership Award will be named and each awarded a $15,000 scholarship. The remaining three finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship. A full list of this year’s winners is available here.
To qualify for an NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, students must be seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. They are required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. NFIB members around the country interview the applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards. Since 2003, YEF has awarded over 2,500 scholarships worth more than $2.5 million to graduating high school seniors.
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The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization promoting the importance of small business and free enterprise to the nation’s youth. More information is available at www.NFIB.com/YEF. The Foundation is associated with the National Federation of Independent Business; NFIB is the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system.
National Federation of Independent Business/Colorado
1580 Logan St. Suite 520
Denver, CO 80203
303-325-6243
