The National Federation of Independent Business’ Young Entrepreneur Foundation today announced the recipients of the 13th annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students.
“America’s young people have caught the entrepreneurial bug, and we could not be more confident in our next generation of business owners,” said Molly Young, director of the Young Entrepreneur Foundation. “We are impressed year after year with the quality of these hard-working, innovative high school students who are making their entrepreneurial dreams happen.”
The 2015 YEF Award winners from Virginia are:
- Cameryn Carr, Floyd County High School in Floyd, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/John Galt Young Entrepreneur Award. Cameryn owns Carr Livestock and plans to attend Virginia Tech.
- Emily Wills, Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/Wiley Rein Young Entrepreneur Award. Emily owns Empire Designs, which sells apparel on Etsy, and plans to attend Virginia Tech.
- Emma Oakley, Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/Virginia Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award. Emma owns Hot Air Affair, a local band, and plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.
- Ryan Ferguson, Broad Run High School in Ashburn, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/Virginia Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award. Ryan owns Old Dominion Lawn Care and plans to attend James Madison University.
- Hina Zafar, Stafford Senior High School in Fredericksburg, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/Wiley Rein Young Entrepreneur Award. Hina owns Cuppidy Cake and plans to attend the University of Mary Washington.
- Sallie Blanks, Brookville High School Lynchburg, winner of a $1,000 NFIB/B.F. Dodson Family Young Entrepreneur Award. Sallie owns Sallie’s Sitting, a house-sitting business, and plans to attend the University of Virginia.
“We’re proud to support these young entrepreneurs,” said Nicole Riley, state director of NFIB/Virginia, the state’s leading small-business association. “It’s hard for anyone to start a business and keep it going, but it’s even harder when you have homework.”
In addition to recognizing these outstanding young entrepreneurs, the Young Entrepreneur Foundation will honor five students selected as Young Entrepreneurs of the Year Award finalists at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 23. During the event, the winners of the “2015 NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year” and “2015 NFIB Dan Danner Leadership Award” will be named and each awarded a $15,000 scholarship. The remaining three finalists will each receive a $5000.00 scholarship.
“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,” Young said.
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.
To learn more, visit www.NFIB.com/YEF.
