My dream of owning my own business came from my seventh grade summer reading assignment. "Dance Upon the Air" by Nora Roberts was about a young woman who followed her ambition and opened her own coffee shop and bookstore in New England. From that day forward I was captivated. Since then, my dream of owning a coffee shop has transformed into owning an event planning company for organizations. I have kept my dream in focus when planning my high school classes, and now I look to Flagler College to guide me the rest of the way.

At my high school, I am the president of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), coordinator for the Lookin' Out Safe Teen Driving Program, and founder and CEO of Custom Clothing Inc. Participating in these organizations allows me to lead my peers and to learn from them, all while strenghening my understanding of the business world.

I am interested in business and event planning because of the immense possibilities it provides. Event planning centers around creativity and building an idea from scratch; both of which I have been successful at in the past. In event planning, a person sees the direct result of all the hard work and dedication that she invested in the project. The adrenaline of a deadline is what drives me and keeps me motivated. I feel that I am a leader who is very open to the ideas and suggestions of others. Developing my own company would allow me to make my ideas and dreams come true without conforming to the standards of others.

In my business class last year, my friend and I became business partners. We identified a market and created and implemented a business plan for our company, Custom Clothing Inc. Our first product was custom football jerseys for the students of our high school. The jerseys were a nearly no risk product, since the customers paid up front for the jerseys, and we did not risk the loss of money. Our second, more successful product was "Warrior Flip Flops" which we continue to sell to this day. The flip flops were a more precarious venture, requiring an upfront payment of $2,700 to our supplier. We each contributed $1,300 from our savings accounts, and a silent partner contributed $100. We ordered 300 pairs of embroidered flip flops from the Toegoz Company and have been selling them at a steady rate since their arrival. Our marketing strategy targeted events where both students and parents would be in attendance. At this point in our sales we have recovered our initial expenses and have started to turn a profit. Operating this business has been the best experience I could ask for because it is a true business. I took a risk by investing my personal money and time into this endeavor and that has driven me to work harder than if it were a classroom simulation. Through both of these endeavors, I have learned the importance of customer service, marketing strategies and personal reward.

I received the Business Person of the Year award at my school for the 2005-2006 school year. This honor was given to me for my role as Junior President of FBLA and for the operation of Custom Clothing Inc (CCI). I also competed in a county wide business competition sponsored by Montgomery College. I presented CCI's marketing strategies to a panel of ten judges and placed second in the competition room. Finally, during the FBLA regional competition last year, my team placed first in the category of Entrepreneurship, and we placed eighth overall at the state competition. Business has always been a part of my life, and through FBLA I have had the opportunity to foster this desire.