The Fall College Tour Adventure Series

The college tour was one that I will not soon forget. Aside from the preparation time and the all the emailing and calling schools and van companies to try to pull this thing off, I stayed up at night wondering if the students were going to get anything out it. This was my first college tour since I went on college tours as a young student. So I fretted over whether this was going to offer students a well rounded experience. Well, I think the answer was, Yes! Still, pulling the tour off was not a stroll in the park.

Our itinerary began with us scheduled to leave the Shaw campus at 8am sharp, because we had a scheduled tour at Hampton University at noon, and it take at least 3 hours to get down to that part of Virginia by car. Well, clearly Friday was opposite day, because leaving at 8am sharp became duller and duller as a few students called and said they overslept, forgot their medication, or any other excuses they could offer for not being ready. Ugggg, as Charlie Brown would say. But, the show went on.

So we ended up departing around 9am and that meant that the peddle was to the metal down I-95. Feet were light as a feather when our 6th sense told us a state trooper was nearby, but I digress. We arrived at Hampton University safe and sound a few minutes behind schedule, but the tour would soon make up for it.

We were greeted by one awesome Hampton professor (Ravenn Gethers) and two genial and fantastic Hampton students (Ralonda and Tiffany), who were our hosts for the tour and provided interesting information about Hampton and its campus life. They showed us their gymnasium, called the Convocation Center that is used for basketball as well as concerts. We were also able to see a Greek fraternity and sorority party line, inside their student activities center...that was great for the students! Our tour guides, one from DC and one from Oakland (BUILD sites of course), provided honest commentary about what life is like in college and what a student has to do to prepare as well as succeed. I appreciated our Hampton tour. I also appreciated that as a Howard University alum (Hampton's archrivals in football), I was not welcomed into enemy territory with great hospitality and open arms.

Next we headed to Norfolk State University. Maybe I should say, THE NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY, because the tour guide was SO PROUD of his institution and was not ashamed to let everyone know. Our tour guide was a member of the band, so we had the opportunity to listen to the bank practice for the football game the following day against Winston-Salem University. The have a great band and it was fun watching them warm up. The student were enamored by the insight our guide provided about the university and the courses they offer. You could tell that he takes being a student ambassador very seriously...thank you, Breyon! Norfolk State also has a 30,000 seat football stadium, which looks great and wonderful engineering and science program, which peaked the interest of one of our students, and she was able to speak with one of the students in the program for almost 20 minutes! Norfolk State was a great host and truly was a fantastic choice for our college tour.

We headed back to the hotel in Hampton, and the students were so excited that their was a pool. I thought that was hilarious, because half of the students did not bring swim wear...what the excitement was about, I don't know! Anyway, the students were great through the night, although pretty upset that we put tape on their doors to maintain our 10:30pm curfew. However, I must say, they appreciate why we put tape on the doors and told them lights out at 11pm, because those that disobeyed were feeling it when my 7:30am wake-up call came. Needless to say, their attention span needed a boost of adrenaline when we traveled to ODU.

Old Dominion University was our last college visit. Old Dominion has such a beautiful campus and the buildings are state-of-the-art. I was a pleasure seeing their dorms, their student activity center (the largest on the east coast!), their classrooms and hearing about all the perks of going to ODU. Our wonderful student ambassador Erica was awesome and so knowledgeable that it was unbelievable. I am very thankful to Professor Ravenn Gethers for organizing our tours of both Hampton University (where she teaches) and Old Dominion University (her alma mater). I was also happy to hear that Old Dominion, Hampton and Norfolk State is such a community resource and that Norfolk and Hampton area find those wonderful institutions so accessible. All in all, we had a fabulous time!

We ended our journey by attending the Hampton University vs Morgan State University football game. The students enjoyed the bands and the competitiveness of the game. Though our hosts Hampton University were unable to pull out the victory, our students became die-hard fans and wanted to stay until the very end, despite the game being in hand with 2 minutes to go. After the game, we drove back to DC and began the healing process (and by healing I mean not doing anything that required my body to physically move for 24 hours...we did a lot of walking on those tours).

So BUILD fans, pack your bags and get ready to take off a few days, because we are doing it all again in the spring! This time, your coming with us!

According to Vishnu!

BUILD Metro DC's Inaugural Holiday Sales Bazaar

Buy unique, handmade holiday gifts while supporting our amazing young entrepreneurs at BUILD's Annual Holiday Sales Bazaars! These events are family-oriented and casual, and we can't wait to see you there! 

BUILD’s Annual Holiday Sales Bazaars are an opportunity for members of the community and special guests to appreciate and support the work of BUILD’s youth entrepreneurs. 

This one-night only event is a fantastic chance for the surrounding community see what great products and services are offered by their communities’ very own.

Click here to learn more!  Cash or Check Only.

BUILD Metro DC's Inaugural Holiday Sales Bazaar
Date: January 21, 2009
Time: 5:30-8:00 pm
Location: BUILD Metro DC Office
1413 K Street NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Questions? Please contact Vishnu Dzidzienyo at vishnu@build.org.

Join Our Facebook Cause - Help BUILD Win $50,000

BUILD is in America's Giving Challenge—Let's win $50,000!

Our cause just entered in America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000!

Please donate today: http://www.causes.com/donations/...

To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period. The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in our cause. We all need to come together and start promoting the cause if we want to win.

Each of us has tons of friends on Facebook who we can ask to donate to our cause. But let's think big too—can you put our cause in your email signature, can you throw a party and get people to donate through the cause when they enter, can you organize other people to go out and fundraise from all of their friends? As you reach out to your friends be sure to tell them why this cause matters to you. The possibilities are endless so let's talk about what we can do to win on the Wall of the cause or by replying to this bulletin.

I think we can do it! But it's going to take all of us. Check out the Giving Challenge ( www.causes.com ), then visit our cause to see how we're doing so far and get involved.

Donate right now by going here

Let's win $50,000 for our cause!

BUILD Youth Business Incubator Open House

As you can see, we are having our first fall open house to celebrate BUILD's newest incubator! Join us and be part of the excitement. To find out more in regards to the Youth Business Incubator or BUILD Metro DC, call us, 202-393-7085.

Our Students Are Fabulous

I wanted to share with you a few points about the fantastic students we serve! This summer we hosted Metro DC’s first Launch Camp and the participation and outcomes were eye-opening for me. I want to start with a story about one of our students who is no longer attending our partner school (Maya Angelou Public Charter School.)

On Lorraine:

Lorraine is a student who has long struggled with life at home. She did not have a strong relationship with her mother, who passed away when she was 2 years old. She has been in the foster care system for a little while and has lived off and on with relatives, like her grandmother. When she started with BUILD last year, it was easy to see how sweet and considerate Lorraine could be, but also how much of a challenge it was for her to participate consistently. Through conversation with Lorraine, it was apparent that school was important, but it was never as serious as whatever she was facing personally on any given day.

Somehow, we all worked together – her BUILD mentors, teachers, school administration and our staff, to pull Lorraine through the school year before she became so disengaged from school that she would drop out. Toward the end of the school year, Lorraine informed me that she was in the process of being adopted by a relative and would be transferring to a new school. I was disappointed to lose her, but happy at the prospect of stability at home.

During the summer, Lorraine moved to a new home with her new mom. Each time I called the house or tried to mail something to the address we had on file, she never received it. I was hoping that Lorraine would join us for Launch Camp, even though she would be attending another school and may have to drop BUILD as a result. I could not get in contact with her until one day when one of the administrators called my office and said that Lorraine had been calling all week, wondering when Launch Camp would start and how could she be in it! I was all too excited to get her phone number and talk to her. When I did, the first thing she said was that she missed the program and she would definitely be in Launch Camp. When she arrived, she was eager to see her teammates from 9^th grade and participate in every activity until the end. We look forward to Lorraine’s participation in the Incubator this year!

On Natalee:

Natalee is a bright young lady with a desire to improve herself all the time. During Launch Camp, we did an exercise called, My Secret Identity, where students used objects, fictitious attributes and talents or past and present heroes to describe themselves. Natalee responded to the question, “If I were a hero besides myself, I would be (blank), “ by saying that she would be the female Ghandi because she would want to create peace among different countries, people, or groups. In response to the question, “If I could possess a super-power, it would be (blank),” she said she would possess the power of super-intelligence, because then she would be able to fix all of the world’s problems like finding a cure for cancer or AIDS. It is gratifying to see students already embodying civic engagement, a trait we seek to foster through our programming.

On Kimberly and Ecila:

One of our teams, Young Jewelz, is a made up of six young ladies who would like to go into the fashion business, starting with custom t-shirts. Two of those Young Jewelz are Kimberly and Ecila. Kimberly is the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for her team. She is a very outspoken and passionate member of the team. Ecila is the Layout Design Manager, a position that I created because Ecila is a special-needs student and she had difficulty grasping the duties of the positions already prescribed, such as VP of Design, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Financial Officer.

Ecila was unable to attend Launch Camp this summer because her mother did not feel comfortable with her traveling by herself via the Metro. However, four other members of Young Jewelz did attend and met to discuss the direction of the company. During the planning sessions, two members of Young Jewelz wondered if Ecila would be able to handle the needs of business and proposed that a vote should be taken as to whether they would ask the BUILD staff to place Ecila on another team.

However, Kimberly was staunchly against the move. Kimberly vetoed the idea immediately and threatened to leave if the other members went through with their request. She felt that regardless of Ecila’s contribution level, Young Jewelz was a team and Ecila was a part of their identity and the ingredients that make them a success. Needless to say, the other members relented and Ecila will continue to be a shining young jewel!

Those are a few anecdotes about our students in the BUILD program, particularly from our Launch Camp this summer. I look forward to sharing new amazing stories about what is happening at BUILD Metro DC.

Vishnu Dzidzienyo

Incubator Manager

Press Release: BUILD Metro DC Celebrates Its Inaugural Business Plan Competition

For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Bellissimo
Director of Development
650-688-5754
bbellissimo@build.org

BUILD Metro DC Celebrates Its Inaugural Business Plan Competition

Nation’s Largest Youth Business Incubator Program Launches in Metro DC with Twelve Ninth-Grade Student Business Teams

WASHINGTON, DC (May 12, 2009) – BUILD Metro DC is proud to present its first class of youth entrepreneurs at its Inaugural Youth Business Plan Competition to be held at Georgetown University Law Center on May 30, 2009.

This celebration culminates a year’s worth of achievements by BUILD’s young entrepreneurs from the Maya Angelou Public Charter School. Teams will be judged by a panel of local executives from the education and business communities, including Warren Brown of Cakelove, Robert Egger of DC Central Kitchen, Lois Zambo of Studley, Seth Morrison of The Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing, Wesley Bieligk of The Carlyle Group and Jit Sinha of JMI Equity .

“We are excited and amazed by the progress our first class of students has made this year,” says Maria Meredith, BUILD Metro DC Ninth-Grade Program Manager. “Twelve student teams will be presenting their unique business plans, with ideas ranging from t-shirts to cookie mixes to dog grooming services.”

WHAT: Inaugural BUILD Metro DC Youth Business Plan Competition
WHERE: Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
WHEN: Saturday, May 30, 2009
12:30PM – 2:00PM

BUILD currently operates two sites in California (East Palo Alto and Oakland), and one in Washington, DC, teaching entrepreneurial skills to over 500 students in thirteen public high schools in under-served communities. Through BUILD, students who are disengaged from school come to see business, and ultimately college, as way to succeed. BUILD understands that most savvy urban youth have real-world skills and experiences that are often not valued or used in a traditional school setting, so BUILD engages young professionals, venture capitalists and community volunteers to help students plan, launch and operate small businesses as a way to tap into their talents and re-connect them to the learning process.


About BUILD
BUILD is a four-year entrepreneurship-focused college preparation program whose mission is to provide real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-resourced communities to excel in education, lead in their communities, and succeed professionally. By helping students develop and run their own small businesses, BUILD supplements traditional school with real-world business experiences and critical skill-building for the future. To date, BUILD has served over 1,000 students directly, recruited over 350 mentors and other volunteers, and impacted thousands more indirectly. Our students are from East Palo Alto, CA; Oakland, CA; and Washington, DC. Most importantly, in communities with dropout rates of 50-70%, 100% of BUILD seniors graduate high school and are accepted into college. Established in 1999, BUILD is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. BUILD currently runs two youth business incubators for students in nine schools in Oakland and Palo Alto, CA (the Palo Alto incubator is the largest in the United States). BUILD currently serves ninth-grade students at two campuses in Washington, DC and will open its third youth business incubator there in August 2009. More information about BUILD can be found online at www.build.org.



# # #

BUILD’s January 2009 Newsletter

BUILD’s January 2009 Newsletter
2008 Holiday Sales Bazaar


Each year the incubator students at both the Peninsula and Oakland sites refine their marketing, manufacturing and business communication skills for one of the year’s most exciting events. The Holiday Sales Bazaar usually takes place in the month of December when family and friends are looking to purchase gifts for the holidays.

Because of the recent change in economy, students were prepared for the possibility that guests may not be able to spend tremendous amounts of money on products. Despite a glum financial outlook, juniors and sophomores, for whom this was their first selling opportunity, spent months preparing their businesses for this special event. Each team was motivated by the opportunity to showcase their team’s business to family, friends and the community.

The 2008 Peninsula Holiday Sales Bazaar was a success with one of our E2 teams, Eco Scarves, bringing in over $730 of sales revenue. Eco Scarves is a company from Woodside High School that produces eco-friendly fashion scarves, and they placed 3rd at the 2008 Business Plan Competition.


The Sales Bazaar was attended by over 200 guests. All 20 incubator teams were represented and their hard work was celebrated with an evening of live music, dance performances and raffle drawings. The evening would not have been complete without reflections from our seniors who all announced the colleges they have applied to and where they hope to attend.

This event is important for the students not only because they are able to make money for their businesses, but also because they get to network with family members and peers from their communities. The Holiday Sales Bazaar is a milestone for the BUILD students, and through this experience we hope that students learn the power they have to effect change around them.
________________________________________
2008 Local College Trip

BUILD Oakland students touring the UC-Davis campus
An often pivotal event in a BUILD student’s experience is their very first college tour. The occasion to see a real college campus and be introduced to the culture of higher education is an extremely inspiring opportunity. This year, BUILD Oakland took a record number 67 students on an overnight adventure to three different local college campuses. These schools included the University of the Pacific, Sacramento State University, and UC Davis.

BUILD’s goal for the college tours is to introduce the students to a wide array of college/university experiences. The Academic Program Managers make every effort to ensure the students get a good feel for schools in the Cal State and UC systems as well as a private school, as each offers a unique learning and social environment that may address the exceptional and wonderful personalities of our young entrepreneurs.


The weekend started at the University of the Pacific where BUILD students walked around the smaller campus, ate lunch at the school’s dining facilities and received an admissions presentation. The next stop was Sacramento, where the Admissions office led BUILD students on a guided tour of the campus and then a Sacramento State student group fielded some important college culture questions from our students. The final stop was UC Davis where the Black Campus Ministries set up both a guided tour by current students as well as a phenomenal student panel that included a recent graduate from McClymonds High School in Oakland, CA.

This experience as a whole had an overwhelmingly positive reception by the BUILD students. The excitement will last through the Spring when our students will explore the San Diego area colleges and universities over Spring Break, for a total of five days, in hopes of further inciting our students’ passion to pursue higher education.
________________________________________
First Semester in DC

Students studying at Maya Angelou Public Charter High School
The first year of life is filled with moments of joy, fear, and lots of growth and the same could be said about BUILD Metro DC! We have had some unique and challenging moments this first year in DC, but continue to press on, work hard, learn, and have fun as we ensure that the students we support understand and benefit from what we have to offer.

Despite the normal and some not-so-normal complaints of teenagers, BUILD Metro DC students get more and more engaged with each class session and they are quick in comprehending concepts. In the upcoming weeks, we will be shepherding students through the business-team formation process and launching into writing their actual business plans.

The relationship between mentors and students is getting stronger as they continue to work together. A marketing project in which students and mentors collaborated to create a new campaign for a popular candy bar was a hit – groups were so engaged that is was difficult to tell them class was over!

We can’t help but be proud of Metro DC's growth, and we will continue to do well. Why? We have wonderful teachers who are committed to BUILD’s success and we have strong support from our partner schools, the entire BUILD team and our board members. We also have wonderful interns from George Washington University who make our staff of three feel like much more. As our students push toward the inaugural Business Plan Competition, we look forward to establishing BUILD as a truly impactful and important part of the Metro DC community!

Come Celebrate with BUILD Metro DC on February 4, 2008

On February 4th, BUILD Metro DC will be celebrating BUILD’s national expansion into Washington, DC. The event, a cocktail reception, will be held at HR-57, a jazz club dedicated to the preservation of jazz and the blues. Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, CEO & Founder of BUILD, is excited to welcome BUILD’s community of Washington area supporters to the event and looks forward to both reflecting on BUILD Metro DC’s successes during its inaugural year and looking forward as we continue to expand in our Nation’s Capitol.

Tickets for the event are $60 per person and all proceeds will go toward BUILD Metro DC. In addition to food, music and friends, we will be raffling off some exciting items for a few lucky winners to take home. To register for this event, please contact BUILD Metro DC Development Manager Rachel Jarvis at rjarvis@build.org or 202.393.7087. We look forward to seeing you there!


A Big Thank You to...


We would like to thank the prestigious law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo for graciously allowing BUILD's Headquarters to use space in their Palo Alto offices, as well as housing BUILD Metro DC in their Washington, DC offices. Because of the firm's generosity, we are able to allocate a greater percentage of our funding directly to student programs.