Hundreds of Area Students Learn About Entrepreneurship

More than 200 students, teachers, career counselors and administrators from regional high schools met at the Hotel Corque in Solvang for the 2017 Global Entrepreneur Summit.

The session on March 17 was hosted by the Santa Barbara City College Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the South Central Center for International Trade Development of the State Chancellor’s Office.

The event promoted global awareness among student entrepreneurs and addressed implications for entrepreneurs. Participating schools included Carpinteria High School, Central Coast New Tech High School, Channel Islands High School, Lompoc High School, Orcutt Academy High School, Santa Maria High School, San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, San Luis Obispo High Schol, and Templeton High School.

“It is an opportunity to open students’ eyes to the possibilities and to show them that they can take their ideas out into the world,” said Tina Bennett, a science teacher at Santa Maria High School.

Ray Bowman, global trade expert and executive director of the Ventura County Small Business Development center, was the keynote speaker.

“The amazing thing that entrepreneurship is that it can be applied to whatever you’re interested in. I wish I had known this was an option earlier on,” said panelist Rashelle Smith, SBCC alum and founder of Umbii.

For more information about the SBCC Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, visit scheinfeld.sbcc.edu/ or email Julie Samson at jasamson@sbcc.edu