10 Az Students Get YEF Scholarships

The National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation announced the Arizona recipients of the 4th annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program to set future small-business owners on the path to entrepreneurship. The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award recipients will attend the university, college, community college or vocational/technical institute of their choice with $1,000 in tuition assistance from the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation.

The program made its debut in '03 when it awarded a total of 110 scholarships nationwide. Last year, 381 scholarships were awarded, & this year the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is awarding a total of 408 scholarships, thanks to financial support from numerous small-business leaders, corporate & foundation supporters. The major corporate sponsor is VISA USA, which donated $100,000 to the national program for scholarships across the country. The program encourages young people to consider a career in small business & pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards:

* Hamilton High School senior Erika Brush of Chandler.
* Hamilton High School senior Caroline Slane of Chandler.
* Tempe Preparatory Academy senior Joseph Irvine of Mesa.
* Snowflake High School senior Mora Kelleher-Smith of Taylor.
* McClintock High School senior Jessica Lopez of Tempe.
* Blue Ridge High School senior Eli Reisner of Lakeside.
* Desert Mountain High School senior Troy Sterner of Scottsdale.

NFIB/VISA USA Young Entrepreneur Awards:

* Desert Vista High School senior Daniel Serfilippi of Phoenix.
* Sunrise Mountain High School senior Derek Tracy of Peoria.

NFIB/Lafferty Development Young Entrepreneur Award:

* Hamilton High School senior Shaylee Mazzone-Gonzales of Chandler.

To earn a scholarship, students were asked to write 2 essays. The 1st essay asked students to describe their entrepreneurial achievement & personal goals for the future, & the 2nd essay asked each applicant to express their views about the importance of free enterprise. Standardized test scores, GPA, & class rank were also considered. NFIB members around the country nominated applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.

"We are thrilled to have increased the number of $1,000 scholarships awarded this year. Additionally we are continuing to award four $5,000 regional scholarships & one $10,000 scholarship for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. This national award for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year will be announced on June 20th in Washington, D.C. at NFIB's Summit during the VISA Awards Dinner," concluded Kopcial.