Harvey High welcomes ECITY class

Harvey High School business teacher Nell Rapport, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Lubrizol, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and many other influential community members welcomed this year’s incoming ECITY class recently.

According to Youth Opportunities Unlimited, ECITY helps teens develop an entrepreneurial mindset and acquire financial capabilities by learning how to create business plans and conduct market research using the award-winning Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship curriculum. ECITY also provides employability skills and connects youth with employment and college access.

The ECITY program at Harvey has had tremendous success in changing the lives of students thanks to the generosity of key community partners like Lubrizol.

Pablo Arredondo, a current senior at Harvey and ECITY alumnus, is a recent example of the program’s success. As a result of this program, Pablo has garnered numerous honors, awards, and opportunities. He won last year’s Veale Venture Challenge at Case Western Reserve University and also picked up Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

He has also competed in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship National Competition. His success is just one of many examples of how the incoming class of students will benefit from the ECITY program.

This year’s Welcome Ceremony was particularly special. Harvey welcomed back Lubrizol employee and ECITY alumnus Martin Grice to speak to the incoming class. Grice is a 2014 graduate of Harvey High School and currently works for Lubrizol as a result of his experiences with the ECITY program. He shared his heartwarming story of how his mentor, Mary Jane Sanders, Community Specialist for Lubrizol, helped him to land his current role with Lubrizol.

Grice is not only working for Lubrizol, he is also a homeowner and pursuing his engineering degree at Cleveland State University.

“ECITY pushed me out of my comfort zone . ... It was because of this program that it helped give me confidence as a speaker,” Grice said. “ECITY gave me the confidence to succeed.”

Grice also gave some insight for the incoming class on what it could do to be successful.

“The confidence and skills you will learn here will guide you through life,” he said.

SUBMITTED During this year’s ECITY Welcome Ceremony, Harvey High School alumnus Martin Grice, right, presented to new program members on how the ECITY program and Lubrizol have changed his life.