The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Business students meet new mentors
Students form the Willoughby-Eastlake Northern Career Institute Business Academy program gathered at the Strawberry Lane Picnic Shelter in Willoughby Hills for the first BA Business Retreat.
The Aug. 24 retreat was the kick-off to a new mentorship program developed by academy instructor Lisa Simon to pair students with area business owners serving as mentors.
Simon worked throughout the summer putting the program together, interviewing and screening mentors for each of the 24 students in the BA program.
According to Simon, most of the students want to own a business, be a manager or a CEO. The mentorship program gives each of them a business person that has an interest in giving back to students and providing the kind of help they wish they had when they were the students’ age.
The retreat was designed to give the students a chance to pitch themselves to their mentors and to get to know them. They will be in contact with each other a minimum of once a week during the two years they are in the BA program.
“This retreat was just the beginning of the relationship building which will continue all year as the students develop their skills in entrepreneurship, public relations, finance, marketing and networking,” said Deanna D’Amore Elsing, administrator for the Northern Career Institute. “As these students matriculate into college or industry after high school, the hope is that these relationships will continue and the mentoring process encourages our students to strive for excellence.”
The retreat started off with a yoga session led by Christine Suster of the Calming Tree in Mentor. Students then gathered to hear speakers such as Maria Jeancola, founder of Network Fifty Two, and James Schleicher from Team IBB.
Jeancola spoke on the power of networking and how important it is not just in business but everyday life. Schleicher told the students that if they don’t get first place or a wrench gets thrown in their plans they need to get back up, get going and keep moving.
Simon had the mentors and students engage in a few team building exercises designed to get them out of their comfort zones. Once the students met their mentors they gave an elevator pitch of themselves telling the mentors who they were and what their interest was in the BA program.
Jeancola thinks the program is amazing.
“It’s something I have been wanting to do,” she said. “I give presentation on intentional networking or how to network with intent to adults and to business owners.”
Jeancola, a mother of three, has been wanting to bring her presentations high school students.
“I think its awesome. The girl I was paired up with, her name is Cassie (Rose, a junior from Mayfield High School), she already had a business idea in mind,” Jeancola said. “She knew what she wanted to do when she grew up. She wanted to start a food truck.”
When Cassie was growing up her mom used to make her a bowl of yogurt with protein powder, granola and raisin. Cassie, according to Jeancola is interested in having a food truck with healthier food options like this.
“I just thought it was really cool so, we are going to try to get her out at some farmers markets and actually let her start her business as a junior in high school,” Jeancola said.
According to Jeancola, she and Cassie are going to start working on putting together a basic business plan and find out what the steps are needed to be at the farmers’ markets.
Cassie said the food truck is just a small idea of what she wants to do.
“I have always wanted to be a self-sufficient business woman,” said Cassie, who is excited to be a part of this new mentoring program. “I think this is great. I got a lot of great tips today. I didn’t realize how easy it was to network and how easy it makes life. You got to know people who know people who know people.”
Cassie feels this program and the ability to have someone knowledgable in the business world with her for the next two years will be of great benefit to her.
Angelina Timofeva, junior at Mayfield, also thinks highly of the mentoring program.
“I think its so amazing how people are interacting with each and how they are taking some time to talk to us kids and tell their experiences,” said Angelina, who wants to own an international chain of nail salons
Justin Groseo, who is looking at one day taking over for his father at his company, thinks the program will be of benefit for him.
“My goal for the mentorship program is that they (the students )have someone they can talk to about the concepts they are learning in class,” Simon said. “It’s a way to connect them with somebody that they wouldn’t normally be in touch with and foster those relationships so they have adults besides a teacher or parent that cares about them and tells them hey you’re worth it you’re going to do well.”