PHOENIX —Two Arizona high school seniors were among the 100 winners of a Young Entrepreneur Foundation Scholarship award from the National Federation of Independent Business, it was announced today.
Now in its 15th year, NFIB’s Young Entrepreneur Awards are designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students. The Arizona winners were:
– Devin Kinkead of Casa Grande who attends Vista Grande High School in Casa Grande. He received an NFIB/Betty and Steve Neighbors Young Entrepreneur Award of $2,000. Kinkead owns Devin’s PC Rescue and plans to attend Arizona State University.
– Sammy Pistorius of Phoenix who attends Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. He received an NFIB/Arizona Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award of $2,000. Pistorius co-owns Vivat Clothing, LLC, and plans to attend the University of Arizona.
“It’s heartening to see the entrepreneurial spirt not only very much alive but also thriving,” said Farrell Quinlan, NFIB’s Arizona state director. “I am more impressed, year after year, with the quality of these high school students who work hard to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.”
Thanks to Visa and other small-business supporters, 95 of the graduating high school seniors will receive $2,000 toward their college and university costs. Five students are in the running for the top Young Entrepreneur of the Year scholarship and the Dan Danner Scholarship. Both will receive $15,000. The remaining three finalists will receive a $5,000 Young Entrepreneur Award. A special ceremony announcing the five will be held in Washington, D.C. July 27.
The scholarship prizes were financed by the donations of NFIB members and Visa, Inc. Since 2003, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation has awarded more than 2,800 scholarships totaling almost $3 million. The scholarships are used to help with tuition costs for the winners’ post-secondary education. To qualify for an NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, students must be seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. They are required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. NFIB members around the country interview the applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.
A full list of this year’s winners, as well as past winners, is available at http://www.nfib.com/YEA2017.
