Courtesy of Benedict College
Training up the next generation of business leaders and giving them the tools to reach their goals. That is the mission at hand for educational leaders at Benedict College and executives with Synovus Bank.
“I feel like this has given me knowledge beyond my years,” Saniyya Boykin told WACH FOX News Friday.
Boykin and eleven other high school students completed the first ever Y.E.S., standing for ‘youth entrepreneurship summer camp’ through Benedict College’s upward bound program – in partnership with Synovus Bank.
“We learned about how you’re always supposed to save, and not spend all of it, it’s called reserve. And we learned how to always have a relationship with your banker,” said Arieyanna Wactor, another high school student.
The one-week camp offers two-hour sessions a day, equipping Wactor and her peers with skills to build their credit and wealth, as well as public speaking and networking.
“It’s the educational piece. It’s the exposure piece for us,” said Lateya Sumpter, who serves as the director of upward bound for Benedict College. “My goal for my girls after this is for them to live their truth and live it out loud.”
The camp is free – and open to any student with a business interest. Synovus Bank CEO Kevin Blair also pledged $1000 dollars to help these young minds turn their business proposals into concrete plans.
“It’s about helping people understand financial education, and financial literacy,” said Blair. “Small businesses comprise about 44 percent of the U.S. economy. They represent a big part of what we’re doing to finance the growth in our communities, so we felt like this program would be a great way to kick it off.”
Initiatives that provide endless opportunities for Boykin, who plans to open a soul food restaurant, and others like Alisha Brown, launching her candle business.
“I’ve actually already started it, just testing it, giving it away to my family,” said an excited Brown. “It’s a good opportunity. I love this program, it’s a good program.”
This month’s camp is the first of its kind, and part of a pilot rollout from Synovus Bank. However, there are plans to kick it off in other locations very soon.
