It is finally Day 5 of Minnesota Business Venture at the University of St. Thomas. Today was Empowerment Day and campers learned important concepts on saving money, creating businesses, and more.
The first keynote speaker of the day was Roya Moltaji, Senior Financial Planner at ROYA LLC. She spoke about saving, investing, and how personal values play a role in financial decisions. Roya shared her journey in the finance world and explained how she got to where she is today. Her knowledge helped campers understand how to manage their money and start saving in order to maximize their financial potential.
After the first keynote, campers presented their business plans to business professionals. These professionals offered insights and feedback, explaining each company’s strengths, areas for improvement, and possible next steps. Campers demonstrated their public speaking and business knowledge. The professionals also asked challenging questions to assess the campers’ understanding and offered useful ideas for improvement.
The second keynote speaker of the day was Shaunie Grigsby, owner of Flava Cafe that supports young women and gender-expansive youth in eliminating community disparities. Shaunie shared how she became the owner of Flava Cafe. She spoke about the personal challenges she has overcome, the communities she has supported, and the sense of fulfillment she gains from her work. She also gave campers valuable advice on careers and entrepreneurship.
After the keynote speaker, campers played Minute to Win It games. They competed in various challenges against each other. From the Oreo Face Challenge to the Balloon Cup Blow-Off Challenge, only one camper came out on top, but everyone had fun. Before curfew, campers attended the dance, where they danced, ate snacks, bowled, and played even more games. As the last full day of camp, it was definitely a fun one for everyone.