Budding entrepreneurs make the pitch to UM-Dearborn alumni

2014 e-Academy participants. Photo by Bill Chapman Photography.

It happens in every school.

A student races through the hallway to make it to class before the bell rings.

Then she trips and drops her binder. Within seconds, all of her papers are strewn throughout the hallway.

“I see it happen all the time,” said Dimas Salinaz, a sophomore at Allen Park High School.

Cue the E-Z Binder. Salinaz and his classmate, Stephen Villarreal, pitched their business product to a group of University of Michigan-Dearborn alumni.

“There’s no perfect solution, but there are ways to fix it and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Salinaz said.

Students from Allen Park High School and Cesar Chavez Academy in Detroit tested their entrepreneurial skills while pitching their business ideas during the university’s annual e-Academy program, organized by the College of Business (COB).

They learned marketing by surveying their classmates and teachers about school supplies. They polished up their accounting and finance skills by meeting with COB faculty three times a week. And in case they had any questions about starting their own company, they sought advice from UM-Dearborn student mentors.

“It’s really nice to help the community give back,” said Chris Harwood, a senior mentor who also graduated from Allen Park. “We didn’t have these opportunities when I went there, so it’s nice to be able to help prepare these students for what they can expect in college.”

Business is all about networking, so Harwood and classmate Felicia Adamczyk encouraged the high school students to maintain strong relationships with industry professionals.

“You never know who you’re going to meet 10 years down the road,” he said. “You could be a mentor to one of these kids, then he or she could end up being one of your bosses.”

Adamczyk, a senior, was tasked with recruiting COB faculty and students to volunteer their time to teach and mentor students from Allen Park and Cesar Chavez.

“A lot of what I’ve done on campus is really focused on student organizations, but with e-Academy, it’s really an opportunity to go out and give back to high school students and get them involved in their community,” she said.

Salinaz, as well as other e-Academy participants, received UM-Dearborn scholarships for their role in this year’s program.

“There are people here in accounting, marketing and entrepreneurship, so I’ve been able to talk to these people and see the different sides of business,” Salinaz said.