NEW YORK (PRWEB) June 18, 2019 -- Three young entrepreneurs from area high schools won top honors in the NFTE (Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship) New York Metro Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge held at Current at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers on June 13.
The students pitched their business ideas to a panel of expert judges, competing for cash prizes and a free trip to New York City this fall to represent the New York Metro region in the next round of nationwide competition. The first and second place winners at the New York Metro regional finals now advance to the quarterfinal rounds of NFTE’s National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, where they’ll go head-to-head with other top young entrepreneurs from across the U.S., competing for seed capital to grow their businesses or pursue educational goals.
The results of the New York Metro regional finals:
- First place was awarded to 17-year-old Kimberlyn Lopez-Herrera of Peekskill High School in Peekskill, NY. She is the Founder and CEO of ECO-AQUA, a reusable water bottle made of plant-based biodegradable materials that can help combat the cycle of plastic waste. Lopez-Herrera has USDA approval for her creation and is working on a patent for her technology.
- Second place was awarded to 18-year-old Natalie Narkolayvea of Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School in Queens, NY. She is the CEO and Founder of SPI, Inc, a semi-permanent ink for use in tattoo parlors. The specialty ink is applied in the traditional way, but it’s bio-engineered to break down and fade away within a year, giving those who opt for her ink a way to avoid painful and costly tattoo removal if their interests change as they grow older. Narkolayvea is working with a chemist to perfect the formula.
- Third place was awarded to 18-year-old Mantjita Camara, a senior at Brooklyn High School of the Arts in Brooklyn, NY, who will be attending Columbia University on full scholarship in the fall. Camara is the Principal Engineer and Founder of HydrOmni, an all-encompassing water filter that uses nanotech to clean out more contaminants than other technology on the market. The easy-to-install filter can be used for drinking water or all whole-house filtration. Its minuscule carbon nanotubes catch the smallest particles. She is currently working on a patent for her technology.
Student business pitches were judged by a panel of experts that included:
- Jim Uehlinger, SVP & Regional President, Santander Bank
- David Conner, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Risk Management, Assurant, Inc.
- Steve Harrison, VP of B2B Marketing, Mastercard
- Linda Chen, Chief Academic Officer, New York Board of Education
- Michelle Ng, Corporate Responsibility Leader, FSO in the Americas, EY
Two special awards were presented during the evening event:
- Saundra Cruz of Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School was awarded the NFTE New York Metro Model Teacher Challenge Award. Cruz now advances to the final round of national competition in the Model Teacher Challenge.
- Tony Baba of Santander Bank was honored with the NFTE New York Metro Individual Volunteer of the Year Award.
The NFTE New York Metro Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was presented by Citi Foundation, Ernst & Young, LLP (EY), Mastercard and Assurant with additional support from Microsoft, Santander and Holly Wallace and Ed Baum. The evening event was emceed by Joanne Lessner, author, playwright, singer and actor.
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About NFTE
NFTE is the leading educational nonprofit focused on teaching startup skills and activating the entrepreneurial mindset in young people from under-resourced communities. Research shows the entrepreneurial mindset—skills including problem-solving, adaptability, initiative, and self-reliance—leads to lifelong success. Equipped with the business and academic skills NFTE teaches and empowered by the entrepreneurial mindset, NFTE alumni are prepared to thrive. NFTE works with schools and community partners across the country through its nationwide network of program offices. Alliances with global youth development organizations bring NFTE programs to additional students internationally. NFTE reaches more than 100,000 young people annually and has served well over a million students since its founding. Learn more at http://www.nfte.com.
Media Contact
Ashley Johnson
mediainquiries(at)nfte.com
(212) 232-3333
Ashley Johnson, NFTE, http://www.nfte.com, +1 212-232-3333, [email protected]
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