Students REACH Higher at 10th Annual Camp

Tutor Plus was a winner from the very beginning. Dubbed the “Uber” of tutoring services, the mobile app’s purpose is to connect students to tutors who are geographically close in proximity. The idea sparked the interest of all who learned of it. And after just three weeks of conceptualization, six high school students realized their hard work had paid off after winning first place in the business competition hosted at the 10th annual REACH Summer Business Camp.

As Hannah Tran, 17, Kim Nedez, 17, Vianey Laureano, 16, Alejandro Rodriguez, 17, Karen Salazar, 16 and Aaron Ramirez, 17, were handed their cash prize of $1,000 at the REACH graduation on June 26, the look of excitement and accomplishment could not be ignored. They had come along way since first stepping foot on the University of La Verne campus.

“The object of this program is to put college within reach of any student no matter how unattainable a goal it may seem,” said Professor of Management Dr. Issam Ghazzawi, who is the director of the program.

Since its inception, the mission of the University of La Verne camp has been to provide under-served high school students exposure to business and higher education in order to promote their success later in college.  To date, more than 600 students have been served and more than 90 percent of those students have gone on to college.

Hailing from high schools from throughout several Southern California Unified School Districts, students selected for the program are typically first-generation and have demonstrated an interest and need in attending the camp. For three weeks students are immersed in the world of business, learning what it takes to succeed in the areas of management and organization, marketing, accounting and finance, business ethics and technology in order to successfully run a business.

While the businesses the students create exist only in theory, the concepts and development plans are judged by leading business professionals from throughout the community who volunteer their time each year.

“This experience has opened by eyes to so many possibilities. I feel more prepared to pursue business when I go to college,” said Tran of Charter Oak High School, who is the CEO of Tutor Plus.

In the midst of developing their business ideas, students were taken on field trips to the Metropolitan Water District, Southern California Edison, Hollywood Bowl and were exposed to workshops that prepped them in several different areas of business.

At the culmination of the camp, students presented their business ideas to a panel of judges consisting of business and community leaders from throughout the community.

“This is our 10th year and I have never had a group of students who were more well-behaved and dedicated to our program,” Ghazzawi said.