Pakistani Girl Gets Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence
San Francisco, CA: The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) March 27 announced that 15-year-old Warda Ali, ( Silver Creek High School , San Jose) has been selected as “Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year” and her teacher Edward Youngblood ( Silver Creek High School ) has been selected as ‘Teacher of the Year’ for the Bay Area region.
NFTE is a global nonprofit organization that teaches entrepreneurship and business skills to low-income young people. The “Global Young Entrepreneur” and “Teacher of the Year” awards are given annually to outstanding students and teachers in 34 regions throughout the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
“NFTE’s goal is to give young people the academic skills and confidence to unlock their true potential, so they can achieve their goals,” says Gerald Richards, NFTE Executive Director.
With the financial support of such national sponsors as The Goldman Sachs Foundation, NFTE has been working with low-income students for more than 20 years, teaching them to channel their creativity and master skills like math, language arts and public speaking. “The remarkable results prove that NFTE’s unique entrepreneurial curriculum works and provides a structure for engaging youth in their education,” Richards added.
Ms. Ali adds “Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year” to her list of accomplishments as she was placed 1st in both the NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge and the NFTE Bay Area Regional Business Plan Competition for her customized cricket bat business which will be launched in November of this year.
Ms. Ali and Mr. Youngblood will each receive a $1,000 cash prize which will be used as working capital for Ms. Ali’s business and for professional development activities for Mr. Youngblood. They will also be flown to New York City and honored at the 15th annual “Salute to the Entrepreneurial Spirit” awards dinner on April 2, 2008.
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