Two high school students, one from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, and the other from Eldersburg, Maryland, were awarded scholarships by the Shepherd University College of Business for their participation in the College’s Financial Plan and Entrepreneurship Scholarship Contest.
Austin Ailor of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, a senior at Berkeley Springs High School, and Sam Evans of Eldersburg, Maryland, a senior at Liberty High School, made presentations about their business plans to several professors and students in Shepherd’s Exploring Entrepreneurship class.
Evans was awarded a $2,000 scholarship after discussing his proposed business, a gym that includes a physical therapy clinic geared toward treating sports injuries.
“What makes it different from other physical therapy is it emphasizes mental health because injuries are taxing on mental health,” Evans said. “As an athlete, you can’t do what you’re used to doing and also mentally be able to trust that injured body part again.”
Ailor was awarded a $1,500 scholarship for developing a business called TechAssist.
“We help anybody in the community who is unfamiliar with technology, including applications on their phone or computer, and we help them get more comfortable with it,” Ailor said.
Both students plan to attend Shepherd starting in fall 2023 and will be eligible for additional scholarships of $1,000 a year if they participate in the risk management and insurance or financial planning programs.
This is the second year the College of Business has sponsored a business plan competition for high school juniors and seniors who plan to attend Shepherd and major or minor in business.
