2008 Entrepreneurship Summer Camp Conducted by the SBA

High school students from Pontiac, Oak Park and Detroit spent the first part of their summer vacation earning money for college--right here at the School of Business Administration! These students weren't working at retail stores or restaurants; instead they earned the money while in the classroom. Through the School of Business Administration's Entrepreneurship Institute, these high school students not only learned about business, they put their knowledge to the test in hands-on activities. By means of a generous gift from the Comerica Charitable Foundation, the Entrepreneurship Institute is able to run the summer camp for high school teens.

Each of the 22 students who completed the 2008 camp were awarded a $500 scholarship to the college or university of their choice and were given additional opportunities to earn even more through business plan competitions. In addition, a matching scholarship is awarded if the student choses to come to Oakland University's School of Business Administration when they graduate from high school. Any student who just completed the 11th grade may apply to attend the Entrepreneurship Camp. The students that are invited to attend are selected based on grade-point average, desire to participate and financial need. This year, two students from Young Detroit Builders, a program for students who have dropped out of high school but want to fix the mistake, also participated in the camp.

The students were divided into teams and worked with an OU student mentor. They learned about entrepreneurship and then created their own business plan, which they presented to a panel of judges from Oakland University and executives from local businesses. The teams competed against each other for additional scholarships. Each student on the first place team received an additional $500 scholarship, second place received a $250 scholarship and third place received a $100 scholarship. First place went to Jabari Shabazz, Jeneal Gonzales and Alex Saunders who's business idea was named Spiraltronic, which is a fingerprint identification system for starting a car. They marketed the system as a way to eliminate car keys. "We used the experience from our classes to put together the final presentation," said. Shabazz, an incoming senior at Pontiac Central High School. He learned about the Entrepreneurship Institute Camp and decided to apply. "I was just planning to work this summer. This camp kept me occupied while learning and having fun. It gives me a business background for the future and I earned a scholarship," said Shabazz, who has aspirations of becoming a movie director.

The camp ran from June 17 through July 8. Students stayed in the residence halls during the week. A total of 14 OU students served as mentors during the camp. The campers participated in team-building activities at Camp Tamarack, attended daily classes, met in group session to work on their business plans and participated in hands-on activities at the Gibraltar Trade Center where each team sold products and conducted market research on their business idea. Each team had the same products to sell and had to make decisions about pricing, sales techniques and figure out how to differentiate themselves from the other teams. The campers also learned more about teamwork. "We had to work together with other students with different personalities and different experiences," Shabazz said. The camp ended with an Awards Banquet attended by the campers, their family and friends, OU students, faculty and staff as well as a number of local business executives. Guest speakers included Caroline Chambers, President of the Comerica Charitable Foundation and Kenneth Harris, Founder, President and CEO of the International Detroit Black Expo, Inc. This was the seventh year of the Entrepreneurship Summer Camp, which has about 20 to 25 campers participate each year.