Yard sale will raise funds to send FCC entrepreneurs to national conference
Business and networking skills prepare CEO Club members for entrepreneurship
The school year may be over for many, but the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (or CEO Club) at Fresno City College is gearing up for a busy summer. The nationwide organization promotes entrepreneurship, community involvement, and an understanding of the business world. The FCC chapter takes this mission seriously. According to Marianne Dunklin, PhD, Business instructor and CEO Club academic advisor, the club “enables [students] to take what they’re learning in class and apply it right away.” One of the objectives of the club is managing two on-campus businesses.
“Now I have new friends that will be my contacts when I start my business, and some great advisors who I will always keep in touch with.”–Dante Delt, CEO Club member
“Our goal,” said CEO Club President Marisela Hamm, “is to teach all members leadership, professionalism, networking, and teamwork as it relates to entrepreneurialism.” These are skills, she said, “that no class could teach.”
Club members like Dante Delt, the club’s chief financial officer, express a similar sentiment. The CEO Club “will change my life forever,” he said. “Now I have new friends that will be my contacts when I start my business, and some great advisors who I will always keep in touch with.”
Club members also perform local community service and each year the club sends a delegation to the National CEO Conference in Chicago. “It’s an amazing experience,” Marisela said of the conference. “There is so much priceless information from the speakers in the breakout sessions. You can take some of what they are talking about and use it in your professional life, as well as your personal life.” The conference brings together students and professionals from across the country. The most rewarding aspect for Dante is “networking with peers my age who have the same ambitions as I do. Some of them are already successful and it’s good to hear their stories.”
FCC is the first community college to have a major presence at the national conference. Last year 20 students attended and this year the number will be higher. In addition, community college students from the surrounding areas will attend. At a cost of more than $700 per person, the conference is a major expense for the club and requires fundraising throughout the year. Over the summer the club will sell tacos and fresh fruit cups on campus. The club will hold a “Spring Yard Sale” on May 25, 2009, and are selling Fresno Grizzlies tickets for the June 7th game that will feature an appearance by Hall of Famer Willie Mays. For information on purchasing tickets, contact club member Sara Douglass at sdouglass26@yahoo.com or (559) 259-3514.
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