HCC hosts inaugural Teen Entrepreneur Summit

By Justin Boyd

May 2, 2015


With the HCC Teen Entrepreneur College launch in the Fall 2015 semester, the Houston Community College Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives hosted a Teen Entrepreneur Summit on Saturday, May 2 at the Central College auditorium.

The free event brought together high school students and their parents from communities all over the greater Houston area to learn about entrepreneurship as a viable career option.

The theme of the summit was Entrepreneurship: A State of Mind. Those in attendance heard from two successful entrepreneurs: Marcus Davis, radio host and owner of The Breakfast Klub restaurant, and Luis Vicente Garcia, best-selling author and international speaker. Davis highlighted vision, faith, hard work, determination and sacrifice as the key traits of a successful entrepreneur, while Garcia identified positivity as the starting point for anyone entering the business world.

Sean Gilmore, a 14-year-old who invented the "Sleepover Bed Tent" shared his story of success to his peer group. But Gilmore wasn't the only youngster to take the stage as the event was emceed by 12-year-old Kidz View talk show host Victoria Baynes Lopez, 11-year-old Jackie Lugo performed chart-topping hits from Anna Kendrick and Bruno Mars and the national anthem was sung by 13-year-old Nicholas Connors.

Connors, who was in the national spotlight last week as he sang the national anthem before a Houston Rockets playoff game and had a surprise on-court meeting with Houston Texans star J.J. Watt, was presented a Watt No. 99 Texans’ jersey by HCC Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives Jennifer K. Holmes.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee made a surprise appearance at the event and presented HCC with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition.

The Teen Entrepreneur College is designed to introduce high school students to entrepreneurial and innovative thinking. The premise is to teach basic enterprise skills, provide “hands on” experiential learning, and to begin the pathway to college completion.

This program will encourage students to complete their college education, even though they may want to start an enterprise. It is crucial that students develop all the skills needed to be successful in today’s changing and challenging economy. TEC is for high school juniors and seniors who have demonstrated academic effort, creativity, innovation, determination, the ability to communicate, and a commitment to their community and family.


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