Story by Lilian Zhu
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Cathy Mason
Contributor
Nearly 400 students from Los Angeles County came to SPHS on Thursday, Oct. 3, for the annual Virtual Enterprise Student Leadership Training. Students from 15 different schools attended workshops hosted by current and former business professionals throughout the day.
Presenters who have worked with companies, such as Disney and Honda, guided students through important skills that they learned over the course of their own career. Workshops included presentations on the elements of a successful business, including leadership, research, marketing, the intricacies of an international business, and more.
“The workshops I got to attend were overall very informational and captivating,” sophomore Lauren Calderon said. “It was fun to learn new skills that would be able to help me in the future while working on the Virtual Business team.”
The training not only teaches students about the business industry, but acts as a fundraiser and leadership opportunity for the SPHS Virtual Business teams. Seniors Corey Segal and Chloe Lovejoy, the Virtual Business Club president and CEO of the Varsity team, respectively, kicked off the day with speeches during the welcome ceremony.
The SPHS Virtual Business advisor, Cathy Mason, organized the event.
“We had a lot of really good speakers. A lot of people that came in [previously] are retired so it was nice to have real companies this year,” Mason said. “People flew in from Arizona and San Francisco so they can teach the kids.”
The SPHS Virtual Business teams will work on their business plans and attend their first competition at Bakersfield in January.
