NFIB Awards Students from Austin, Houston, Sugarland, and Waco
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Young Entrepreneur Foundation (YEF) today announced four Texas high school seniors were among the 115 scholarship winners of NFIB’s 15th annual Young Entrepreneur Awards. The scholarship program rewards and encourages entrepreneurial talents among high school students who own and operate their own small business.
“The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards program was established to raise awareness among the nation’s youth of the critical role that small businesses play in the economy,” said NFIB Executive Director Will Newton. “Supporting our young entrepreneurs compliments the work we do in the state’s Capitol ensuring that small business owners have the right to own, operate and grow.”
Texas YEF scholarship recipients include:
- Joshua Mapula (Houston, TX) Third Coast Printing, LLC (printing services), high school senior at Victory Early College High School
- Brandon Werner (Waco, TX) Blue Thumb Gardens, LLC (educational content), high school senior at Nashoba Regional
- Nabihah Khalid (Austin, TX) PostEd (social media/technology), high school senior at John B. Connally High School
- Vanessa Martinez (Sugar Land, TX) Marva Atelier Jewelry (fashion), high school senior at IH Kempner High School
Five additional students were named finalists for NFIB’s top two scholarships: the 2017 NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the 2017 NFIB Dan Danner Leadership Award and will be honored at an event in Washington, D.C. on July 27. The top two winners will receive a $15,000 scholarship, and the remaining three finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.
To qualify for an NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, students must be seniors in high school who own and 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.
For more information and a full list of this year’s winners, please visit www.nfib.com/foundations/yef/
NFIB/Texas has 21,000 dues-paying members representing a cross-section of the state’s economy from agriculture, construction, and manufacturing to wholesale, retail, and services. Additionally, NFIB/Texas membership is 96 percent comprised of businesses who have 40 employees or less and is the largest association advocating for small business in the Capitol.
