The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Young Entrepreneur Foundation today announced that six South Carolina 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.
“We’re very proud of these students,” said Ben Homeyer, state director of NFIB. “It’s hard for anyone to start a business and keep it going, but these seniors have found a way to run a business in between doing homework and studying for tests.”
Thanks to Visa Inc. and other small business supporters, the 110 high school seniors who won a Young Entrepreneur Award received a $2,000 college scholarship.
The South Carolina winners:
- Chris Bristow, who attends Spring Hill High School in Chapin, will receive an NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award.
- Nino Chambers, who attends Brookland-Cayce High School in Cayce, will receive an NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award.
- Mihir Dutta, who attends River Bluff High School in Lexington, will receive an NFIB/South Carolina Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award.
- Christian Sutton Gillespy, who attends St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Greenville, will receive an NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award.
- Turner Hammett, who attends Cornerstone Christian Academy in Spartanburg, will receive an NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award.
- Keagan Riser, who attends Orangeburg Preparatory Schools in Orangeburg, will receive an NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award.
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.
