Young Entrepreneur Scholarship
Camryn Sullivan, a student from Amherst Central High School, isn’t your typical high school senior. She has gained an impressive knowledge in such topics as trademarks, patents, and marketing through personal experience, and this breadth of knowledge recently helped her win a highly competitive scholarship from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the $2,000 Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship.
Camryn has gathered her knowledge and experience from a fashion accessory business she started with her sister, Kaelyn, and her mother, Debbie.
Their company, Kae & Cami ®, is centered around their patented “Heart and Soul” design for a magnetic, pin-free brooch that is great for shirts, dresses, blouses, and scarves.
The Kae & Cami company didn’t just afford Camryn the knowledge she was able to turn into her Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship, it has, also, laid a foundation in fashion design that Camryn plans to further develop into a lifelong profession.
Next fall
, Camryn will be attending Philadelphia University, where she received a lacrosse scholarship. The school stood out from the rest because of its fashion merchandising and marketing major and study abroad program, which offers a specific experience in fashion immersion.
She’ll, also, be pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship. Camryn hopes that all of this will put her in a great position to further develop her business.
When her high school guidance counselor encouraged her to look for entrepreneurial scholarships, Camryn found and applied for the award she eventually won from the NFIB. During the application process, Camryn had to write an essay and be interviewed about her role and experience in creating and operating her own business. Camryn’s extensive involvement in Kae & Cami had her more than prepared, as she knew exactly what she wanted to discuss and focus on during this process.
Kae & Cami looks ready to take the next steps toward wider popularity. The company was recently featured on My Cool Inventions, a radio and live YouTube show, where their magnetic brooch received a 100% Thumbs Up rating from nationwide voters.
The high praise placed them as the most popular invention of the week, and has put their product in consideration to be featured on the Home Shopping Network.
On top of this, the company was interviewed by the popular ABC television show, Shark Tank, and hopes to be featured once company sales reach the level required by show producers.
The company’s patent on its brooch device is behind all the success it has had and the trajectory it has placed Camryn on. In a recent interview, Camryn’s mother and business partner stressed the importance of receiving sound legal advice if you have a business or invention you plan on pursuing. If you have an idea for a product, make sure you legally protect it and set yourself up for success down the road.
