BizFest coaches students on business, future plans

Debbie Sajnani, a senior at Blue Valley Northwest High School, said she sometimes would get discouraged when thinking about her future.

She enjoys photography, but was concerned there would be no jobs available that matched her interest.

A four-day event called Kansas City BizFest, offered to high school students Feb. 10-13, helped make Debbie’s career aspirations seem possible, she said.

“I’m more confident now,” she said. “When I think about if I work on it hard, I’d see maybe I can do a business at one point. I can do it on my own.”

KC Biz Fest began in 2004 as a way to help students gain skills that lead to success in college and in future careers.

Throughout the week of sessions held at Indian Creek Technical Center, 4401 W. 103rd St., students interact with and learn how to become business professionals and also complete their own business plan.

“It’s a packed program,” Valerie Coyazo, co-chair of KC BizFest, said. “We want students to be able to go to college and get to that next level.”

The week concludes with students presenting their completed business plan in competition. Winners obtain a variety of scholarship opportunities from area community colleges.

Shawnee Mission East senior Marisol Galicia worked all week on a business plan that would combine ways to help the environment and individuals rehabilitating from drug use.
The business, called

Recycling in Style,” would produce woven purses made out of potato chip bags. Those in drug rehabilitation would make the bags, providing income and distracting them from withdrawal symptoms.
“I thought, ‘Well, I can help these people while helping the environment,’” Marisol said.

Marisol came to the United States from Mexico this summer to study and improve her English skills. She placed second in the competition and a received a $1,759 scholarship. She also received an award for the having the “Most Entrepreneurial” plan.

Before coming to KC BizFest, she said, she had thought about going to college, but had no idea how to get there. BizFest helped make it seem more like a possibility, she said.
“This is giving me an idea,” Marisol said.

BizFest is sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative. Though the majority of the students who participate are Hispanic, the event is open to everyone, said Jeanne Crane-Smith, a founding member of the planning committee.

KC BizFest began with about 14 student participants. This year about 85 students were accepted into the event through an application process. Most students who have participated in the program have entered college, Crane-Smith said.

“The percentage that goes to college is by far double to triple what the national average is for (Hispanic) students,” she said. “It helps these youth succeed and believe in themselves that they can succeed.”

Throughout the four days, students learn the proper way to dress, give a handshake and introduce themselves in a business setting. They work with professional mentors on learning aspects of business such as marketing and finance and have the opportunity to ask questions. For many of the students it is their first chance to interact with professionals who are not their parents or teachers, said Manuel David, mentor coordinator for KC BizFest.
“It breaks the bubble,” he said.

Creating a business plan helps students learn aspects of finance, business, expenses, income and marketing, he said. All are skills that will help them as professionals and as individuals, he said.

“They have expenses, they have income,” David said. “They are themselves like a little business unit. They can use it in everyday life, so it is just huge.”

Crane-Smith said the program can have a “truly transformational” impact on students’ lives. Some students have completed college, are on their way to law school, and also are giving back to the community by becoming mentors at BizFest, she said. “What I have witnessed, heard and seen is growth,” Crane-Smith said.

Other Johnson County students awarded at KC Biz Fest are:

Lindsay Childers of Blue Valley North High School, fourth place; Vanessa Beltran of Blue Valley North High School, sixth place; Uriel Barrera of Olathe Northwest High School, special recognition award; and Jesus Perez of Olathe North High School, special recognition award.

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