The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship will host BestPrep’s Minnesota Business Venture career and leadership summer camp for high school students on the St. Paul campus July 7-12, 2019.
Minnesota Business Venture is a week-long high school residential summer camp that provides students with real-world skills. It offers a rare opportunity to learn about career options, develop financial literacy and workplace skills, enhance resumes for college applications, and experience college life by living on campus.
At Minnesota Business Venture, students work in small teams, spend the week developing an imaginary product and business plan, then present to a panel of judges. Throughout the week, students also take part in mock interviews, meet with a financial planner, sharpen networking skills, and attend breakout sessions led by industry experts.
“We are so excited to bring the Minnesota Business Venture career and leadership camp to the Twin Cities, which will make it accessible to more high school students,” Dr. Laura Dunham, associate dean of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship said. “The camp provides a good foundation for business, finance, communication, and networking—real-world skills that build careers. We also know the world needs more entrepreneurial thinkers, so we are excited about this partnership. At the Schulze School, we prepare innovative problem-solvers to tackle challenging problems—that’s what businesses need, and that is what Minnesota Business Venture campers will be introduced to during their week at St. Thomas, an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Hosting Minnesota Business Venture at St. Thomas will provide an opportunity to expand its student and corporate volunteer participation and increase the diversity of the program. Not only is it in a convenient location, but it also allows students who are interested in attending the University of St. Thomas an opportunity to experience life on a college campus through a summer camp experience. Generous sponsorships offset much of the cost to students, removing the financial barriers for highly motivated high school students who otherwise might not be able to attend this type of summer camp. Closing the opportunity gap for high school students is an important first step in closing the prosperity gap in Minnesota.
“Our goal with Minnesota Business Venture is to give young people the opportunity to be prepared for success in work and life. We are thrilled to bring this program to the Twin Cities and could not be more excited to partner with the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at St. Thomas to help us achieve that goal,” said BestPrep President and CEO, Bob Kaitz.
Minnesota Business Venture offers two sessions and locations for students to choose from: July 7-12, 2019 at the University of St. Thomas and July 21-26 at St. John’s University. The early registration cost to attend is $150 (through April 14). The camp is limited to 200 participants. Registration is now open to students across Minnesota who are completing grades 9-12 and attending public, private, or charter or home schools. Students or parents can obtain an application and sponsorship information by contacting BestPrep at mbv@bestprep.org or register online at www.bestprep.org/minnesota-business-venture/register.
BestPrep is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing students with business, career and financial literacy skills through hands-on experiences that inspire success in work and life through seven innovative programs, including Minnesota Business Venture. Since 1976, the organization has served more than 1.6 million Minnesota students and teachers. For more information, visit www.bestprep.org.
