SALEM, Ore., April 20, 2015—Two Oregon high school seniors were among 100 winners nationally from a pool of more than 600 applicants competing this year for a Young Entrepreneur Foundation scholarship award from the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s largest and leading small-business association since 1943.
NFIB’s YEF scholarship program is 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 Oregon winners were:
- Charlotte Brattain of Keizer, who attends McNary High School, and was awarded an NFIB/National Willamette Valley Vineyards Young Entrepreneur Award of $1,000. Brattain’s enterprise is Charlotte Brattain Photography.
- Miriam Frank of Bend, who attends Summit High School, and was awarded an NFIB/Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Portland/Vancouver Young Entrepreneur Foundation Award of $1,000. Frank’s enterprise is Mimi’s Doodads.
“Each year, NFIB’s YEF award winners provide inspiration to our members by demonstrating that the entrepreneurial torch still burns strong today, ensuring a strong future for free enterprise,” said Jan Meekcoms, Oregon state director for NFIB. “We are very proud of our Oregon recipients.”
Oregon YEF scholarships were financed by the donations of NFIB members. In addition to the Oregon students listed, NFIB member Portland-based Terra Staffing Group kindly awarded the NFIB/Betty and Steve Neighbors Young Entrepreneur Award to a high school student in Alaska wanting to come to Oregon to further her education.
Since 2003, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation has awarded more than 2,600 scholarships totaling $2.6 million. This year, NFIB’s Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded $145,000 to deserving young entrepreneurs. Each award is between $1,000 and $15,000. At an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on July 23, four finalists will receive a $5,000 scholarship and one the top prize of $15,000. The scholarships are used to help with tuition costs for the winners’ post-secondary education.
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.
A full list of this year’s winners, as well as past winners, is available here.
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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. For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Oregon
3340 Commercial St. S.E. Suite 210
Salem, OR 97302
503-364-4450
Twitter: @NFIB_OR
