Elijah F. says he wants to open up a pilot business one day. He now believes he is one step closer to making his dream come true thanks to a program that teaches teens hands-on entrepreneurial skills.
Elijah, a member of the A.R. Gus Barksdale Boys & Girls Club, was recently honored for his hard work in the Herndon Game Changer Entrepreneur Program. As a participant, Elijah has learned how to write his own business plan and even networked with some of Atlanta’s most influential leaders in business.
In addition to learning how to develop their own business plan, students receive hands-on coaching from successful business owners. Their goal is to equip students with skills that encourage them to start businesses in their own communities. Seniors like Elijah also receive $1,000 in college scholarship money upon completion of the one-year program.
“I’m happy to be a part of the program. I learned about it at my Boys & Girls Club,” Elijah told a room of journalists and CEOs at the historic Herndon Home. Elijah was honored as part of a recognition for Black History Month at the museum.
Elijah’s mother, Deborah Fleming, also credits Boys & Girls Clubs for exposing children to a world of possibilities. Financial literacy programs like Money Matters teach kids basic principles like saving, investing, and budgeting money – the first steps to growing a successful business.
After graduating from college, Elijah hopes to become a game changer in business like the late Alonzo F. Herndon, revered as one of the first black millionaires in the United States. Mr. Herndon was founder and president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Elijah is humbled to be part of a program named in Herndon’s honor and he looks forward to leaving a legacy of his own.
Elijah wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Tuskegee University or another university on his top 5 list. Meanwhile, he is excited about putting his plan for a pilot business to use. We know the sky is the limit for this amazing teen.
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