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Lakecity student wins business scholarship

Hard work and an essay on his participation in the B.C. Junior Achievement program have combined to win Ryan Therrien $2,500.
11181tribune-Ryan-Therrien-with-business-mentor-Rhonda-Hordiuk-at-BMO-Bank-of-Montreal-10
Ryan Therrien with business mentor Rhonda Hordiuk at BMO Bank of Montreal.

A positive attitude, some hard work and an essay on his participation in the B.C. Junior Achievement program have combined to win Ryan Therrien a $2,500. education scholarship.

Last year, Ryan was a Grade 11 student at Lake City Secondary School participating in the Marketing 12 Junior Achievement program taught by Linda Black, with local business mentors Paul Eves at Scotiabank, and Rhonda Hordiuk at BMO Bank of Montreal.

Ryan and 11 other students formed a company called Sol Vitra, a small business operated by the 2012/13 marketing class which sold coloured sunglasses.

In only a few months, Sol Vitra managed to sell 653 pairs of sunglasses and donate $3,700 to the Youth for Christ’s Hot Spot centre for youth.

A Grade 12 student who graduated in June, Ryan went on to help mentor the award-winning  Cariboo Cookies Marketing 12 class this year and to apply for the $2,500 B.C. Junior Achievers’ Donald Rix Inspiring Business Excellence Scholarship.

The scholarship application entailed writing a 500-word essay about what he learned as a Junior Achiever, participating in a personal interview, securing two letters of recommendation, and a personal resume.

Ryan, served as Sol Vitra’s vice-president of finance and credits the help and support he received from their teacher and business mentors for the company’s success and thanks them for their support in the scholarship application process.

He says Rhonda Hordiuk wrote him a wonderful letter of recommendation to go with his essay, and Eves was very supportive, giving him tips on personal interviews which he very much appreciated.

He also thanks his teacher Linda Black for her support and writing a wonderful letter of recommendation, to go with his essay in which he writes in part:

“Long hours, hard work, dedication, and passion are the mere beginning and heart of any successful business.”

He went on to explain how the company worked and exceeded its goals, concluding:

“Every day had its own set of challenges and I faced them with a positive, but still dedicated attitude towards excellence, which ended in success,” Ryan says. “When speaking to other students, I always encourage them to take the program and share my positive experience with them.”

Ryan plans to use his scholarship to pursue a career in electrical engineering this fall.

The Dr. Rix scholarship is presented annually to an aboriginal, rural, or immigrant student in  who has demonstrated significant growth in business excellence skills, improvement in learning skills, and demonstrated leadership and/or entrepreneurial skills.

Dr. Rix was one of B.C.’s leading entrepreneurs in the field of life sciences, community volunteer, philanthropist, angel investor, and mentor to countless young entrepreneurs.

He was inducted into the Junior Achievement’s Business Laureates of B.C. Hall of Fame in 2006.

Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating young people about business. With more than 120 charters world-wide, JA brings a diverse global view of business to local communities. Since 1955 Junior Achievement of British Columbia (JABC) has partnered with dedicated donors, business volunteers, educators and the greater community to bring a real world experience into the classroom.

Visit www.jabc.org to learn more.