Under the theme ‘Educating in Turbulent Times: Promoting Entrepreneurial Creativity and Innovation in Students,’ the San Pedro High School (SPHS) held its annual business fair. Held on Friday, March 3rd, at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium, the event aimed to nurture the entrepreneurial skills of business students. The event included motivational speeches and ended with recognizing the most outstanding business projects.
The activity started at 9AM and saw many residents supporting the various business concepts that students had developed. This year, the school administration reported over 30 booths showcasing different business models ranging from restaurants, and medical services to entertainment projects. The projects fell under two categories, junior and senior. The junior category projects focused on the theoretical business part, while the senior category had practical applications.
Throughout the day, the judges were tasked to select this year’s winners and visited each booth, grading the students on set criteria. They say choosing a winner among the many great projects was challenging, but six groups exceeded expectations. Around 3PM a short closing ceremony was held before all the students participating in the business fair. The closing session included special guest speaker John Briceño Jr. (son of Prime Minister Hon. Dr. John Briceño).
Briceño Jr. thanked SPHS for the invitation to travel to the island and speak to their business students. He shared his experiences as a student. Briceño Jr. said that although he was not a straight-A student, he excelled in the subjects he liked the most. However, Briceño Jr. said he, unfortunately, dropped out of sixth form (college/university). However, he had the idea of making movies someday and was fortunate to travel to New York City in the United States, where he attended a two-month film workshop. He said that upon returning home to Orange Walk Town, he worked in the production of commercials for this family business, cable, and internet company. “I made the best commercials, but afterwards, I realized it wasn’t for me,” he said. “It was draining me and affecting my mental health. I had to do something else, so I started watching material about finding oneself and passion.” The young entrepreneur said he found himself leaning towards skin care products and eventually ventured into this type of business. Briceño Jr encouraged the students to follow their passion, believe in themselves, and work hard for their goals.
After the motivational speech, the winners were announced by fair organizer Josue Sosa. In the junior category, third place went to The Zoo of Light, and Minis took second place. Clear Minds, a booth dedicated to providing mental health services, took first place. In the senior category, third place went to team Carnival Shack, followed by a group called Design It. The grand prize and first place went to team Battle Point, who created an entertainment program.
According to the fair organizer, Sosa hopes one day to see one of the competing teams build its own business. Prizes in the junior and senior categories included $350 for third place, $500 for second place, and $750 for first place. Vice Principal Maria Flota commended everyone’s hard work and congratulated the winners. She thanked everyone who came together and helped make the fair a success. She encourages students to prepare and look forward to next year’s business fair.
Congratulations to the winners, and kudos to all participants and everyone supporting the annual event.
