GVSU to host teen entrepreneur camp

Forty high school students from 21 high schools across the West Michigan area will spend a week at Grand Valley State University, immersed in the world of entrepreneurship to learn about creating a start-up company.

The 10th annual Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy (TESA) is hosted by the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship (CEI) in the Seidman College of Business and sponsored by Amway.

The camp will take place June 27-July 1, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the L. Willliam Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Idea presentations and awards will take place July 1 from 3-5 pm. This year's theme is centered on poverty and lack of access to health care.

The week-long academy is packed with interactive lectures, team-building activities, hands-on research, field trips, networking with local entrepreneurs and strategic planning for personal aspirations. The camp teaches students strategies for launching a new business, including idea generation, problem solving, marketing techniques, management, financial strategies, presentation skills and much more. 

The academy concludes with a pitch competition where students showcase their new entrepreneurship talents before a panel of professional judges for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $5,000.

“Programs like TESA help create a community where creativity, curiosity and collaboration are encouraged," said Shorouq Almallah, CEI director. "Even if the students are not ready to start their own business, companies and organizations are looking for employees who have the qualities of resourcefulness, initiative, creativity and independence to be able to utilize these qualities within the organization.”

Amway employees will help mentor and coach the student teams throughout the week.

For more information, contact the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Grand Valley at [email protected] or (616) 331-7582.