BizFest works to shape young business leaders

On Wednesday, February 16, , Denise Suarez Gomez, a senior at Shawnee Mission West High School, plans to enter a university and major in education so one day she can teach 1st grade. And after she has taught for two decades, she then wants to venture into the nonprofit world and start an agency that will help children in impoverished countries.

Luis Martinez, a student at Grandview High School, plans to attend the University of Saint Mary and explore the medical world. He wants to focus on pediatrics but eventually he wants to establish a top-quality nursing home that is affordable.

The two area high school students were among the 140 who last week developed a plan for their education and for their lives during the eighth annual KC BizFest, an intense four-day youth entrepreneurial training program. The event is conducted by the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative and its sister organization, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.

During the program, which was from February 9-12, students were given an opportunity to gain business experience and to improve their communication skills that prepare them for the business world. Working with veteran professionals, the students also competed for scholarships and cash prizes, all provided by local corporations and foundations.

Gomez said KC BizFest provided important lesson about education and life.

“It opened up my eyes because I came here with an open mind to learn about business. And not only did I learn more about business and entrepreneurship, I learned a lot about what I would like to do when I grow up,” she told Hispanic News. “I’ve learned about my values and about the things that I should honor about being Hispanic.

“They have showed me here that not only can you succeed in business but you can also succeed in many other things because of who you are and what you can do.”

Gomez, who is from Peru, said the speakers were inspiring and implanted in her a feeling that she can succeed in a career and in life.
“They are really the ones who changed my views about life and have encouraged me to keep going and not to give up and not to feel insecure.”

Martinez, whose parents are from Mexico, said he appreciated KC BizFest allowing him to open the door to many possibilities.
He said the program gave him “the bigger vision about business and about how important my career is.”

“Now I see more and my eyes are more clear about education and the outside world,” he said. “I have learned so much. It’s a privilege to be here.”

Martinez said he comes from hard-working parents who have devoted everything to their children. He said despite the inspiration he acquired from KC BizFest, one issue remains in his mind.

He said there are many high school students across the country whose future will be a struggle because of their immigration status. The failure of proposed DREAM Act last year, he said, will prevent many talented students from entering a university.

And recently, he said, he expressed his disappointment to a member of Congress from Kansas.

“This is our country,” he said. “We don’t know any other country.” But because children were brought into the United States without documentation, they grow into adults whose opportunities are limited.

“We really don’t have a country,” he said. “We are living apart from other students and it’s absolutely not fair. It’s not fair because we have no choice. We were born into a family that wanted a better life. … But I have hope because if you don’t have hope, you don’t have anything.”

Martinez and Gomez, who are not citizens but are in the United States under pending asylum, said they would like to have seen more dialogue about the DREAM Act at KC BizFest.

Carlos Gomez, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative, said although the DREAM Act is an important issue, KC BizFest aims at teaching leadership skills without any political agenda.

He said politics and public policy are areas where he hopes some of the students will go on in life to influence.

“What BizFest teaches is ultimately self-confidence and allows these students to know that they are valued. Every single one brings something different to the table that only he or she can bring,” he said. “We hope that students leave wanting to make a difference in every level, either in their community, their city, their state or their country.”

The scholarship winners and their respective schools are: Kathy Carballo, Shawnee Mission South; Anissa Martinez, St. Mary’s High School; Janet Quintana, J.C. Harmon High School; Clay Flemons-Fletcher, Cristo Rey High School; Claritsa Santiago, Sumner Academy; and Marco Morazán, Shawnee Mission West.

By Joe Arce and Tony Balandran