Schools

Students Awarded Money for Businesses

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy program held its annual investor panel Thursday night, awarding more than $8,000 to local students to start their own businesses.

Lake Zurich High School junior Jamie Passaglia was shocked Thursday night when she learned that she’d not only been awarded $1,330 to start her own business, Jamie’s Organic Bakery, but that she also had been chosen to represent our area at a national competition.

Participating in the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy — also called YEA!, Passaglia designed a business that will sell packaged, dry cake mixes that are organic, fair trade and made with whole grains. An investor panel selected Passaglia to represent the Lake Zurich Chamber at the Saunders Scholars Bright Ideas competition in New York.

“I can’t believe it,” said Passaglia. “It’s like a dream. I’m really happy that people are excited about my idea.”

Passaglia, who plans to become a dietitian, said after having some health issues in middle school, she started examining the food in her pantry.

“I looked at what I was eating and said, ‘This is bad,’ “ she said. “I didn’t like the way I felt eating junk food.”

Passaglia, an artist and musician, used her creativity to design healthier cake mixes.

“People call baking a science, but I call it an art,” she said.

In all, YEA! awarded $8,906 to 11 students to start their own businesses.

State Sen. Dan Duffy, R-26th District, served as the emcee for Thursday night’s event. He talked about starting his own business 20 years ago after being inspired by his dad, who “always told me to ‘dare to dream.’ ”

Duffy said small businesses provide 80 percent of the jobs in Illinois.

“So it’s Main Street, not Wall Street, that keeps our economy going,” said Duffy. “These kids are our future.”

During the YEA! program, students develop a business plan, explore marketing and learn from local business leaders, said Dale Perrin, executive director of the Lake Zurich Area Chamber. The yearlong process drew students from Barrington, Lake Zurich and Palatine this year, along with Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

The funds awarded to the students come from local businesses and organizations, including Ela Township, which donates $5,000 to YEA! each year. An investor panel — made up of local business and community leaders — determines how much each student will receive. This year’s investor panel included: Ela Township Supervisor Lucy Prouty; Ela Township Trustee Anne Dobbertin; Lynn O’Brien, of the Women’s Physical Therapy Institute; Peter Panagakis, of Digital Home Solutions; and Randy Hertel, of R-H Insurance Group.

Please look through the attached photo gallery and read about each student’s business!


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